Visiting in care homes: joint call for action
2 November 2020
The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) has joined over 60 organisations to call for greater support to enable care homes to safely facilitate care home visits during COVID-19 restrictions.
Kathy Roberts, chair of the CPA, said:
“As the national alliance of care associations across England, the Care Provider Alliance recognises the difficult decisions care home staff, residents and families have to make during COVID-19 restrictions. We all want to support and protect the people we care for. Safe, well-managed visits to residents in care homes is one of the ways that we can continue to care.
“But we need increased support in order to implement the new statutory instrument and protect everyone involved. That is why we have joined the National Care Forum and 60 other organisations to call for increased flexibility and routine testing for designated visitors.”
A coalition of over 60 organisations, brought together by the National Care Forum (NCF) – the CPA member association for not-for-profit social care providers – sent an open letter to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Helen Whately, Minister for Care, calling on the government to ensure that care homes are supported to enable visits by families and loved ones, now and in the future. The letter, signed by the CPA, calls on the government to adopt this position in any new regulations it is drafting for the care sector to cover the national lockdown and the aftermath.
Notes to Editors§
About CPA§
The Care Provider Alliance (CPA) brings together the 10 main national associations, which represent independent and voluntary adult social care providers in England. We work to represent the sector and ensure a coordinated response to the major issues that affect it.
The CPA bring together the ten national associations, which represent private, voluntary and community sector providers. We speak for the whole of the adult social care sector including care homes, home care services, Shared Lives schemes and retirement communities.
CPA members cover almost 10,000 organisations, employ over 600,000 staff and support an estimated 1 million people.
Guidance on visiting care homes§
On 31 October 2020, the Government said that it will issue further guidance on care home visits prior to the national lockdown due to come in to force on Thursday 5 November 2020.
New National Restrictions from 5 November – Item 10
- Visiting relatives in care homes
Guidance on care home visits will be published ahead of Thursday. For now, you should follow existing guidance.
Statutory Instruments – 2020, No 1104§
On 14 October 2020, a Statutory Instrument came into force identifying certain visits to be exempt from restriction on indoor gatherings. The key paragraphs are reproduced below:
Exception 12: visiting a dying person
(13) Exception 12 is that the person concerned (“P”) is visiting a person whom P reasonably believes is dying (“D”), and P is—
- (a)a member of D’s household,
- (b)a close family member of D, or
- (c)a friend of D.
Exception 13: visiting persons receiving treatment etc
(14) Exception 13 is that the person concerned (“P”) is visiting a person (“V”) receiving treatment in a hospital or staying in a hospice or care home, or is accompanying V to a medical appointment and P is—
- (a)a member of V’s household,
- (b)a close family member of V, or
- (c)(c)a friend of V.
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Contact§
For more information on the Care Provider Alliance visit the About us section of our website.
Media contact: info@careprovideraliance.org.uk or telephone Iris steen, 07792 636761