Coronavirus update (England) 23/02/2021

Tuesday, 23 February 2021

Care home residents in England will be able to be visited indoors by a single, named individual from 8 March as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions.

The scheme will allow a single visitor to hold hands indoors with their relative or contact in a care home, and make repeat visits under carefully designed conditions to keep residents, staff and visitors safe.

Every resident will have the opportunity to name one individual, who will be required to have a test beforehand, wear PPE during the visit and avoid close contact.

All care home providers not experiencing an outbreak will be asked to follow the updated guidance and continue to work together with families and local professionals to ensure visits are possible while continuing to limit the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Background information

• The person nominated will remain unchanged while this step is in place
• There will be discretion for care homes to allow more than one named visitor in exceptional circumstances
• Home testing of single, named visitors will not be allowed during the start of the scheme but will be reviewed
• Hand-holding is allowed but named visitors will be asked to avoid any closer contact
• Vaccination is not mandatory and will not be a condition of visiting
• In terms of visiting out, the rules and guidance will remain unchanged at this stage
• Visiting will be suspended during local outbreaks in individual homes
• Further guidance will be published before the launch of the single, named visitor scheme on 8 March
  
  To enquire about arranging to visit your loved one at one of our homes, click the 'contact us' button at the top of the page and fill out your details or click here to see the phone number for all our homes in England.