@Susu49
I'm not surprised, though dismayed that money is seemingly the root cause of the issue.
I too really don't understand the phone calls, I just can't see why it would be an infection control issue here, we wipe the phone when anyone has used it and I don't understand why window visits aren't allowed either, done correctly they don't pose a risk, mask for the visitor, residents 2m away from the window, window by default open for ventilation.
The only reason I can see is that the resident is in danger of trying to climb out of an opened window (and it happens, even those that have safety catches etc to stop them opening wide, people still try and that puts them at risk of hurting themselves) and there aren't enough staff to facilitate someone being present throughout the visit to ensure safety. But if that's the case then it should be clearly communicated.
Or that the person's condition means a window visit is pointless, because they will wander away/not have the cognitive skill to engage unless someone is very close or touching them and the same may apply to a phone call.
It doesn't sound like that applies to your grandad though.
I do think you need to raise these concerns with the management and if you get no joy then your grandads social worker or even the CQC. At the least they can point you towards someone who can answer your questions.
The problem is they are still behaving as if covid represents the same risk as it did 2 years ago. I’m absolutely certain many residents and their families would prefer contact and the small risk of covid ( with negative LFT ) to being kept in a luxury prison. FIL craves human touch and the sight of real faces rather than masks. To go out for lunch.
The thing is that it does present a higher risk in the age group and with the co-morbidities that we see in that group regularly, than the general population. We have known that right from the start. Not as severe as when it all started but still a higher risk.
The issue is also that while many people may choose to take the risk (and I totally understand that) there are other people within that group setting who don't and who's family don't. The home has to then try and balance competing rights of both parties for a solution. They have an equal duty of care to everyone.
Another factor is not a popular one, but that homes are being extra careful after the battering they've gotten in the last 2 years. If you think about it logically, there's no way that any communicable illness can be kept out of a care home where people from the wider community are going in and out on a regular basis, but when it happens there's always a queue of people wanting someone to blame, the staff, the visitors, the management. Some places saw this kind of thing more than others and they are being very extra careful to avoid any blame when the inevitable happens and covid gets in.
I'm not saying it's right, but it could be a reason why some homes are reluctant to ease things.