What are the current rules around care home visits?

[FizzyPink]

A relative is going to be going into a care home in the next few months. They are very upset about this and don’t believe it’s necessary at all. They have dementia but some days are totally fine and are very mobile and keen to be out and about.

I had a look on their website and it says residents are allowed 1 person to visit for 30 minutes wearing full PPE. This seems very draconian to me but is it a standard rule? And would I be able to visit and take them out for a day?

They’re very upset at being forced into a home and it would be awful if this is the only way to see them.

situation is changing fast in CHs & is uncertain, but main thing is, what you're reading about PPE & duration is likely to be typical widely -- LFTs may be required as well, probably not instead, too.

Not sure about the day trips, there was recent policy change & it could be withdrawn, anyway

I visit my brother in a care home, currently there isn't a limit on the time but he is allowed up to 5 different visitors, although we can't visit when other residents have visitors, so I could see that in a care home with a number of residents they would have to limit the time.
We are not allowed to take him out at all, which is really hard as he would love to and taking him out for coffee/ cinema was a regular occurrence pre Covid.
We have to do a lateral flow test at the home before we see him, and wear a mask but nothing else.
He is in a residential care home with only 3 others, so I think they are able to be more flexible. There is no doubt that the lack of visitation has had a negative effect on my brothers dementia. We have tried to call/ FaceTime when possible and if they are able to use technology to do this it will help.
I hope your relative settles in well

Oh gosh that doesn’t sound great. They’ve got a big birthday coming up and it will be awful if they’re stuck in the home on their own for it especially when they/I think they don’t even need to be there. It’s quite a big one (around 30 residents) so sounds like visits will be tricky.

Thank you for the information

not able to leave with family is a covid thing, not normal practice in regular times

5 named visitors
Allowed to be taken out to a relative's garden. ( Might now be more places?)

Lateral flow test, gloves, apron mask

It’s pretty barbaric in my opinion. My grandfather has recently changed nursing homes as we were doing most of our visiting through his window, which he wasn’t even supposed to open - it opened at the bottom by about 3 inches! We were even supposed to wear masks standing outside the window and my mum wasn’t allowed to visit him in the garden on one occasion as another resident was outside there too. They had to meet in the porch and there was no privacy with people coming and going constantly He’s 96, had both jabs a good while ago and had even had Covid last year. For god’s sake, at his age, he can’t have a vast number of years left, so let him have quality of life at least! It makes me really angry.
He had to quarantine in his new room for 2 weeks on transferring homes ( despite the double jab status) but is free tomorrow and now has his own patio where we can visit and he’s also allowed a list of 5 named visitors to see him inside but on a prebooked basis. So it’s better, but still pretty inhuman for people that deserve a lot better.
Although I should add that he doesn’t have dementia and most of his need to be in a nursing home is physical rather than anything else.

It all seems so arbitrary. My time with my mother has been reduced from 1 hour to 1/2 hour. Because apparently some members of the group of 5 were staying longer than 1 hour. So it’s a punishment.
She’s got months to live and it’s palliative care. We were told if we wanted to take her out she would have to go back into isolation then tested.
Totally mad. Everyone in that home is double jabbed.
I don’t know what to do it makes me so angry

My relative's home went from terribly slow response last year - stayed open over Mother's Day weekend when it was clear what was coming- and nine deaths in eight weeks- to insistence on PCR test plus l f t on-site, mask and apron, visit in a sanitised room or from behind a screen and one visitor - to two visitors, no p c r and visit in own room or garden with l f t on arrival. I think visitors now up to five.

From what I hear, most of the anxiety and stressing has been on the part of families rather than residents - who seem by and large to have just accepted it. In my relative's case she has been absolutely fine as she finds visitors annoying and a disruption to her routine. Because she makes this very clear, she doesn't have many visitors anyway.

To be fair to the management, official guidance appears to have been pretty poor, unco-ordinated and contradictory at times.

@BlackeyedSusan

Lateral flow test, gloves, apron mask

Yes this. My son is in supported living. Only one visitor allowed and visits are half an hour. Not allowed to hug, we have to social distance. I can take him for a walk, but he doesn't have much road awareness, and I'm not allowed to touch him.

Didn't see him at all at Christmas as it wasn't allowed 😢 We're both double vaccinated.

Fil care home rules are: 5 named visitors, lateral flow tests before visiting. 2 at a time in room with mask, apron etc. This Sunday for the first time am allowed to bring to our home for a visit.

I’ve been collecting my mum and taking her to outdoor places for several weeks. The home manager is very sensible and flexible. We have to do PCR tests weekly (we’re classed as staff) and I do a LFT at home before we collect her.

Oh this sounds much more promising thank you! Once she’s settled I’ll give them a call to find out the procedure. She’s upset enough as it is to have to move in there, never mind not being allowed out when she’s used to being out and about every day.

It must vary by care home. My mum gets 2 named visitors, who can go indoors for an hour with masks, but have to take a lateral flow test first. There is a pod that any visitors can use, no masks or tests, 30 minute visits. Named visitors can take her out, but outdoors only (that was fun when I went last month and it was wet, windy and freezing...). Lateral flow test required before taking her out.

All visits and trips out must be booked. And pod visitors aren't allowed in the home to use the loo!

A relative of mine recently went into a care home for end of life care and some of the visiting arrangements caused a bit of distress amongst the family:
Not allowed to have a visitor every day as they wanted my relative to integrate into the home (they are dying and don't really want to make new friends)
Visits to be booked in advance and they discouraged having more than 2 households on the list of visitors (which if followed would have excluded most of my relative's adult children from visiting)
Full PPE (mask, gloves, apron) to be worn even when sitting outside
Social distancing during visits
LFT to be done prior to visit

It wasn't mentioned in the briefing as far as I know but there is a press release about care home residents dated today:

www.gov.uk/government/news/care-home-residents-can-stay-overnight-as-visiting-restrictions-ease