Care homes welcome back visitors

The change in guidance from the Government's Department of Health and Social Care means that people have been able to visit homes across Shropshire.

For the past eight months care homes have been under varying strict conditions regarding visiting, in an effort to avoid passing Covid-19 on to vulnerable residents.

Coverage Care, which has 12 homes across the county, opened up to visitors yesterday, with movable six feet square plastic screens and PPE required for those taking part in the appointment only visits.

From next week the homes will be using the rapid 'lateral flow' tests in a number of its homes, which will allow people to visit without the need for plastic screens.

The tests are able to give people a Covid test result in around half an hour.

David Coull, chief executive of Coverage Care, said were pleased to be able to welcome visitors back for residents who had been "stoic' in coping throughout the restrictions.

He said Coverage Care will also be increasing its testing of its 1,200 staff to twice a week and would also be moving to testing residents every seven days.

Mr Coull said it was a "significant undertaking" and would see the organisation carrying out around 4,500 tests a week.

The chief executive praised the response of residents and families for the way they had coped with restrictions on visiting.

He said: "People have been incredibly supportive. There have been very few people that have been in any way antagonistic and we understand why they miss seeing their relatives.

"The residents have been stoic throughout but they do get down, so seeing a friendly face, after in some cases some months, it makes a massive difference."

He added: "The support from relatives has been pretty jolly outstanding and what we are looking for is that continued support as we go into Christmas."

The organisation has more than 700 residents in its homes across Shrewsbury, Telford & Wrekin, and in Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton, Bridgnorth and Bishop's Castle.

The government has suggested that two people can visit care homes twice a week each, but Mr Coull has said that level of visiting would be almost impossible for the organisation to provide.

He said that each half hour visit actually takes up around an hour of time due to the cleaning required for rooms both before and after the visit.

The use of the lateral flow testing on visitors will begin next week and will see people visiting in their own car asked to administer the test themselves and to wait in their vehicle for the half an hour it takes to get a result.