Coronavirus (Covid-19) FAQs and visiting policy

Your loved one remains our priority.

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Please be reassured that whilst we continue to live with the risk of Covid-19, we are doing everything possible to protect your loved one and minimise the risk of infection while ensuring residents remain active, stimulated and follow their passions. Our staff remain committed to the care and support of every resident.

As ever, we’re continuing to closely follow government guidance whilst seeking to reduce restrictions as much as possible and keep all our care settings safe. We’ll continue to monitor government guidance, and our approach will always be risk-based.

As the guidance we follow is subject to change, please speak with the care home management teams for the latest advice.

Yes. There are no restrictions on visits to our homes and you are welcome any time without a need to book. All we ask is that should you have any symptoms of respiratory illness such as a high temperature and/or cough that you refrain from visiting until your symptoms pass and for at least five days.

If your loved one tests positive for Covid-19 we will still try to support you to visit but we may need to limit the number of visitors to keep everyone safe. There is no restriction to visiting during an outbreak if your loved one remains negative, but the visit will take place in the bedroom rather than a communal area.

We’re very lucky that all our homes have stunning gardens for residents (and their families) to facilitate outdoor visits.

In addition, we have installed visitor pods in our gardens to provide a secure and warm space for visitors and their loved one to meet at a safe distance. These are available for use if you prefer.

You can also take your loved one out of the home for an outing , such as for a walk or a visit to a museum, restaurant, or pub at any time.

There is no requirement upon you to test now but we do ask you to use alcohol hand rub available in the homes, masks are also available for use should you wish. Refreshments will not be served during an outbreak in the homes.

The rules around outbreak management have changed and we are continuing to support visits during outbreaks in the homes although we will impose some restrictions on use of the communal spaces and ask visitors to use masks. We may limit the number of visitors at one time for someone who is Covid positive to maintain safety. We will never restrict visits for residents being supported with end-of-life care.

We undertake active risk assessments with healthcare professionals during outbreaks so please always check with the home’s management team if you wish to visit during an outbreak. Our policy is firmly to support contact and visits so please be assured that we will seek to facilitate any reasonable requests.

Yes – there are no significant restrictions at this time on new residents. Those coming from a hospital setting will have had a Lateral Flow Test no less than 48 hours before discharge to the home but there are otherwise no other restrictions. New residents no longer have to self-isolate upon arrival at the home.

Residents and staff socialise and do not socially distance themselves (outside of any resident in isolation). Residents can undertake a wide range of arts and crafts while staying active with dedicated fitness classes. We have restarted in-person visits and activities such as occupational, music and art therapists and other outdoor facilitators.

During an outbreak, we will restrict the communal activities we offer and seek to reduce infection risk by cohorting and encouraging people to isolate – that period is much shorter now, and we will always seek advice from the Health Protection Team within our risk assessments.

Our care homes are regarded as a home from home, so there are strong ties and a positive community feel.

We only test when we are asked to by the Health Protection Team during an outbreak. We will always follow their guidance strictly and communicate this as needed to friends and loved ones.

We continue to follow the advice and guidance from the Government on PPE. All our staff observe hygiene rules, e.g., washing hands. We make sure homes are deep cleaned, and this regime is increased if people have Covid or other seasonal illnesses. Colleagues wear masks when they wish to or if a resident request them to do so.

In the event of your loved one contracting Covid-19, we will follow appropriate procedures in line with guidance from the Government and our local Health Protection Team. The guidance changes regularly so if you loved ones does test positive, we will inform you of the steps we will take. We will always seek to minimise restrictions but maximise care and safety.

In such cases where a resident’s condition worsens or requires additional medical support as per current guidance, they will be taken to a hospital to receive the care they need.

We know you are anxious about your loved one’s wellbeing. You can always communicate with them via phone, Skype or Facetime (face to face video calling on your phone), whenever you need to if you cannot visit, and we encourage you to arrange these with the relevant care home staff.

If your relative does not have their own mobile phone, we have a limited number of tablets (portable mini-PCs) in the home that they can use to contact you.

Staff are on site 24/7 to give your relative professional levels of care and support they need. We will update you on their health and well-being as necessary.

These visits will continue to be offered and even during outbreaks we will make sure you can spend as much time as possible with your loved ones who are ill and especially for those receiving end of life care. If you have any specific requests, please always speak the management team.

We have been able to reintroduce activities run by external facilitators/instructors back into the home. We operate a wide-ranging programme of daily activities and events, including specialist well-being activities such as music therapy, G-fitness, and aromatherapy.

We run a daily programme of activities, from arts and crafts to fitness and we strive to involve all residents. Our care colleagues take the time to engage with residents, getting to know their interests and hobbies, which makes integration into the wider home easier.

At all times, our intention is to provide the best levels of care to your loved one. During a crisis such as an outbreak affecting care colleagues our staff face many difficulties – from childcare to getting to work and, of course, minimising health risks to themselves and to others. Therefore, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that we have appropriate staffing levels. We have had – and may likely have – some staff previously needing either to shield with relevant health conditions or to self-isolate with symptoms. We maintain bank staff and seek to keep levels high to ensure cover is possible and we use established and trusted agencies when we need to.

We have strict cleaning protocols in place, and these are subject to regulatory and statutory requirements. However, we have issued extra guidance for staff and have already increased the frequency of the cleaning of core communal areas including doors, door handles, handrails, bathrooms, dining tables and chairs and kitchen facilities. Staff also observe strict personal hygiene protocols.

Waste disposal will continue following our standard practice; if any resident contracts Coronavirus, we will remove waste in accordance with advice from PHE to reduce the risk of infection to both residents and staff.

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