Care home visiting rules explained \u2013 what you can expect<\/p>\n
New rules for visiting loved ones in care homes come into force next week.<\/p>\n
From Monday, March 8, residents will be allowed one regular visitor.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the pandemic began, that visitor will be able\u00a0to access the resident\u2019s bedroom and hold their hand.<\/p>\n
It is part of Boris Johnson\u2019s roadmap out of lockdown which could see most restrictions in England lifted by June 21.<\/p>\n
One Salisbury care home said\u00a0allowing more meaningful contact between visitors and residents\u00a0will be an \u201cexciting\u201d step for\u00a0families that have been separated from loved ones during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
But how will the opening up of care homes actually work?<\/p>\n
Strict safety measures, including testing and PPE, have to be adhered to, in order to ensure the virus can\u2019t be brought into\u00a0the home.<\/p>\n
What that will mean when visiting your relative or friend might be hard to imagine.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why earlier this week, I visited Old Sarum Manor on\u00a0Rhodes Moorhouse Way to get an insight into what visitors can expect as new rules come into force.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we found and how it will work from March 8, step by step.<\/p>\n
Step 1 \u2013 Testing<\/strong><\/p>\n Rapid lateral flow tests are now used regularly in all care and nursing homes to pick up asymptomatic cases.<\/p>\n At Old Sarum Manor, staff are tested every three days, either before they come into work or on arrival.<\/p>\n Once a week, they take an additional, lab-processed\u00a0PCR test to confirm they are not infected.<\/p>\n Any visitors to the home, including contractors and family members, are already asked to take a test before entering the premises.<\/p>\n This will become a Government\u00a0requirement from March 8.<\/p>\n As a visitor myself, I took mine in a small room with its own bathroom\u00a0round the back of the building.<\/p>\n A member of staff was there to guide me through the process, which was surprisingly quick,\u00a0and make sure I filled in a form with my name, my test result and the test\u2019s serial number.<\/p>\n Step 2 \u2013 PPE<\/strong><\/p>\n Anyone visiting the care home is expected to wear a face mask, even after confirmation of a negative test.<\/p>\n Kate Blackburn, Wiltshire Council\u2019s director for public health, has repeatedly stressed that \u201ca negative test result is not a passport to freedom\u201d as people could still test negative during the incubation period and pass the virus onto others.<\/p>\n Wearing PPE, especially indoors, reduces the risk of viral transmission.<\/p>\n Surgical masks for anyone who isn\u2019t already wearing one are available from a stand just outside the reception area.<\/p>\n This is also where visitors have their temperature checked and are asked to sanitise their hands before entering the building.<\/p>\n Step 3 \u2013 Where\u00a0visitors can go and what they\u2019re allowed to do<\/strong><\/p>\n Arguably one of the biggest changes coming into force on March 8 for people visiting a loved one\u00a0will be where they can meet.<\/p>\n During the pandemic, staff at Old Sarum Manor have been able to allow visits in their garden room featuring an intercom control system\u00a0and a glass partition wall.<\/p>\n Residents and visitors can access it from two different doors either side of the wall so they don\u2019t come into contact.<\/p>\n However, from Monday, one nominated visitor will be able to access the resident\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n They can stay for as long as they like and make as many visits as\u00a0they want.<\/p>\n Although they are not expected to hug or kiss their relatives, they can hold their hand.<\/p>\n Old Sarum Manor\u2019s garden room will continue to play an important role for all other family members or friends who wish to visit a resident but are not allowed into their rooms.<\/p>\n