The care minister Helen Whately has hinted rules on visiting care home could be relaxed within weeks saying she “really, really wanted to open up” residential homes once lockdown restrictions start to be lifted.
Ms Whately also suggested that the rules can be relaxed before those vulnerable to the disease have their second jab saying “I don’t want to have to wait for the second dose.”
Throughout the latest national lockdown, care homes have been instructed ensure socially distanced visits continue whether these be in outdoor settings, including window visits, or with the use of sealed visiting pods.
Speaking with Sky News, Ms Whately said: “I really, really want to open up in visiting in care homes more.
“To be clear we have made sure visiting can continue even during this national lockdown but I recognise it’s not the normal type of visiting, it’s having to use screens and visiting pods, or through windows if care homes don’t have those facilities.
“But what I want to do as we come out of the national lockdown is also increase the amount of visiting. I don’t see that we have to wait for the second vaccination dose. I want us to open up sooner than that.
“But I will say with this as with generally when you come out of lockdowns, we do have to be cautious. Most residents in care homes have only had their first dose, some of them only very recently, so it will be step by step.
“I’m determined so that we can see people go back to be able to hold hands again and to see somebody who you haven’t been able to see very much in the last few months and over the last year. I really want to make that happen.”
“Visiting will be taken step by step and we will, for instance, when people come back to more normal visiting, still be asking people to use PPE and follow those kinds of procedures.”
She added: “I don’t want to have to wait for the second dose. Clearly that’s really important to give care home residents maximum protection, but I really want us to to be able to open up cautiously and carefully. To enable residents some contact with family members, because I know it’s just so, so important.”
