Care home residents will be able to see families at Christmas
Visits were due to begin in the first homes in England today (Wednesday 2 December).
As the country today moves back into tiered restrictions, the new guidance will safely allow indoor visits to care homes across England – in all tiers. North Yorkshire today moves into tier 2 of COVID-19 restrictions, meaning the county is at high alert.
The news comes as it was revealed that tens of thousands of people will receive an effective and high-quality COVID-19 vaccine from next week, as the UK becomes the first country in the western world to authorise a vaccine.
A significant increase in testing capacity, paired with new testing technology, will allow friends and family to visit relatives in care homes if they receive a negative result prior to the visit.
The move will enable care homes to safely maintain a balance between infection control and the vital benefits of visiting to the health and wellbeing of residents.
However, leaders in North Yorkshire have warned that the new testing systems will take time to introduce as the Government rolls out testing kits to thousands of homes across the country.
“We all want families and friends to be able to visit loved ones in care settings because we are all too aware of the heavy toll that not being able to visit has had on everybody affected” said Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council’s Director of Health and Adult Services.
“We celebrate the fact tests are being rolled out to enable more visits to take place and know this will give joy to families, friends and care home residents as we head towards Christmas and through dark winter months.
However, this is a demanding logistical operation for our care homes and we will give support where it is needed. We join with care providers to ask people who want to visit, to be patient and to bear with us. It is vitally important we get this right and that everything is in place will keep people safe.
He also urged people wanting to bring relatives out of care homes on Christmas Day to think about self-isolating for up to 14 days beforehand.
The number of tests kits being supplied has been modelled to allow up to two visitors per resident, visiting twice a week. Care homes will manage the number of visits to ensure they can enable safe visiting and the programme will be continuously reviewed as it is rolled out.
'COVID-19 vaccination programme to start next week'
Representing a big step forward in the fight against COVID-19, the new vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week. The NHS will begin putting extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination.
Following rigorous clinical trials involving thousands of people and extensive analysis of the vaccine’s safety, quality and effectiveness by experts from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccine has been authorised for use in the UK.
The vaccine is given in two doses – three weeks apart – and data from clinical trials showed the vaccine is 94% effective in protecting people over the age of 65 from coronavirus, with trials suggesting it works equally well in people of all ages, races and ethnicities. There were also no serious safety concerns reported in the trials.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:”This is a momentous occasion and provides fresh hope that we can beat this pandemic, with the UK at the forefront of this revolutionary breakthrough. This work will take time so for now we must all play our part and abide by the local restrictions to suppress the virus and protect the NHS as they start this vital work.”
In the meantime, guidance has been updated to support the clinically extremely vulnerable in protecting themselves from exposure to COVID-19. It replaces previous guidance on shielding that was in place during the four-week period of national restrictions. The guidance is set out in 2 parts:
- Updated advice on protecting the clinically extremely vulnerable, based on the tiers of local restrictions in your area. The advice sets out the additional things people at the highest risk from COVID-19 are advised to do to keep themselves safe for each tier.
- Updated shielding advice that is more targeted and will only apply in some of the worst affected areas and only for a limited period of time. You are only advised to follow shielding advice if you receive a new written shielding notification.
The Government has also announced that more than 2.5 million vulnerable people across England will be offered free vitamin D supplements for the winter.
All care homes will automatically receive a provision for their residents, while individuals on the clinically extremely vulnerable list will receive a letter inviting them to opt in for a supply to be delivered directly to their homes. Deliveries will be free of charge, starting in January, and will provide four months’ worth of supplements to last people through the winter months.
The supplements will support general health, in particular bone and muscle health. This is particularly important this year as these individuals are more likely to have been indoors for extended periods due to measures introduced to stop the spread of COVID-19.
'Christmas arrangements'
All four parts of the UK have signed off an aligned approach allowing up to three households to form a ‘Christmas bubble’ from December 23 to 27, allowing friends and loved ones to reunite.
Up to three households can form an exclusive ‘bubble’ to meet at home during this period. When a bubble is formed it is fixed, and must not be changed or extended further at any point.
Each Christmas bubble can meet at home, at a place of worship or an outdoor public place, but existing, more restrictive rules on hospitality and meeting in other venues will be maintained throughout this period.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has advised that people considering going abroad over the festive period should do their research before booking a trip.
