Coronavirus Scotland: Care home visiting given green light to restart from March – Edinburgh Live

Scots who have relatives in care will be able to restart indoor visit from early March, the Scottish Government has announced.

The move into lockdown at the start of January so all routine visits halted amid fears the virus could be brought into care homes.

But the government have given the go ahead for relatives and friends to begin visiting loved ones again under plans to restart routine indoor visiting.

From early March care providers will be able to support residents to have up to two designated visitors each, with one visit a week for each visitor.

The government say the "wide range of protections" now in place for care home residents mean meaningful contact should be made easier for the wellbeing of residents and their loved ones.

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Under current rules, visits can only be arranged in exceptional circumstances such as at the end of resident's life.

The roll out of the coronavirus vaccine has now seen 99.9 per cent of all residents in elderly care homes vaccinated, alongside 92 per cent of staff.

And new data shows the number of outbreaks in care homes has improved, with the latest National Records of Scotland data showing deaths from coronavirus in care homes have fallen by 62 per cent in the last three weeks.

Guidelines on the restart will be published on February 24 to allow care home operators to support visiting. Visitors will need to wear face coverings and any PPE requested by the care home, and are strongly encouraged to take a Covid test on-site.

Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman said: The decisions regarding restrictions on visiting for care home residents have been some of the most difficult we have faced and I have the greatest sympathy for those who have been unable to see relatives and loved ones in person for so long.

Care home staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support continued contact between residents and their loved ones but these restrictions have been hugely challenging for them, as well as for care home staff and colleagues.

We deeply regret the deaths and other harm caused by coronavirus in our care homes, but we also recognise the harm caused to the wellbeing of residents and families as a result of an inability to see those they love.

We must remain vigilant about the risks but with multiple layers of protection now in place the balance is in favour of allowing visits. Everyone, including visitors, has a responsibility to ensure that visits take place as safely as possible by continuing to follow safety advice.

The additional protection in place includes infection prevention and control measures (IPC); personal protective equipment (PPE) in care homes and testing of staff and visiting professionals to care homes, which have developed processes and protocols for safer indoor visiting to take place.

The guidance we are publishing sets out an expectation that providers will put in place arrangements to enable regular visits to resume from early March and from the discussions I have had with providers, I now expect all care homes to have embraced this guidance by mid-March.

Cathie Russell of Care Home Relatives Scotland said: We look forward to working with care home providers, public health and oversight teams to ensure that the new guidance allows residents to enjoy meaningful contact with their closest relatives and friends once more. It has been a very difficult year. The deepest ties of love are important and we can never thrive without them.

Donald MacAskill, chief executive of Scottish Care, said: The Covid pandemic has presented frontline care home staff and managers with many challenges but undoubtedly the hardest has been keeping residents apart from family and friends.

We have now reached a very different place and with a range of Covid-19 protections in place, including vaccination and testing, combined with the use of PPE and IPC, we are at a stage where we can re-introduce safer indoor visiting to Scotlands care homes. This day has been long-awaited and we understand that it will be an emotional time for many.

Scottish Care is committed to supporting staff and managers, residents and family, to make sure that these guidelines succeed in their aim of reconnecting individuals.

"We commit to working together to overcome any challenges and difficulties we might face and to support those who may still be anxious and fearful, so that together we can ensure that a painful period of separation can be replaced by greater togetherness.

Gabe Docherty, on behalf of Scottish Directors of Public Health, said: Theres not been a day when these very human considerations havent weighed on the minds of my colleagues and I as weve endeavoured to safely negotiate all the challenges COVID has presented.

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It is always been the focus of Directors of Public Health to reinstate visiting as soon as there was evidence that the risks of doing so were greatly reduced. So I warmly welcome and wholeheartedly endorse the approach and all that it means for care home residents, their families and Care Home staff.

Councillor Stuart Currie, Health and Social Care Spokesman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said: Local Government welcomes the forthcoming guidance on resuming meaningful contact for care home residents and recognises the impact that restrictions have had on residents, their families and friends and care home staff.

"This guidance supports all parts of the system to ensure that meaningful contact is undertaken safely with a number of safety and protection measures in place.

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Coronavirus Scotland: Care home visiting given green light to restart from March - Edinburgh Live