-
Plan to allow visits to English care homes welcomed but concerns raised

Indoor visits by one designated person to be permitted from 8 March as lockdown eases, says Matt Hancock
Care home residents in England will be allowed to receive indoor visits from one person from 8 March as lockdown restrictions start to be eased, the health secretary has said.
As the prime minister prepares to announce his “roadmap” out of lockdown, Matt Hancock announced that each care home resident would be able to designate one person, who will be able to visit them regularly.
The visits will take place under strict conditions, with the designated person required to take a coronavirus test beforehand and wear personal protective equipment. They will not be required to prove that they have received the Covid vaccination, however.
The visitor will be able to hold the resident’s hand – though any other close contact will be discouraged.
Prof Deborah Sturdy, the chief nurse for adult social care, said: “I know how much people want to visit, hug and kiss their loved ones but doing so can put lives at risk, so we would ask people to continue to follow the rules.”
She added: “This is a first step towards resuming indoor visits and we all hope to be able to take further steps in the future. I am pleased as a result of so many people following the rules we are in a position to increase visits and hope this is just the start.”
Relatives’ groups have been campaigning for families to be allowed more access to their loved ones, saying that regular contact with familiar people is a lifeline for those with conditions such as dementia.
Hancock said: “I know how important visiting a loved one is and I’m pleased we will soon be in a position for people to be carefully and safely reunited with loved ones who live in care homes.
“This is just the first step to getting back to where we want to be. We need to make sure we keep the infection rate down, to allow greater visiting in a step-by-step way in the future.”
The move is likely to be one of only a few easements announced on 22 February, when Boris Johnson sets out the plan for leaving lockdown.
The campaign and support groups Rights for Residents, the Relatives and Residents Association and John’s Campaign urged ministers this week to allow residents to select an essential caregiver to make in-person visits indoors and without screens.
They cited falling rates of Covid transmission in the community and the need to balance the risk from the virus with the risk of isolation and lack of connection.
But some care operators have raised concerns about the move, fearing the infection risk from new virus variants. They also say many cannot get insurance cover for Covid risks, including infection being introduced by visitors.
Nadra Ahmed, who chairs the National Care Association, welcomed the news after a “gruelling” year, but said people needed to be careful.
“We have no insurance in our services for Covid-related risks. That still hasn’t been sorted out by government in any way, so there will be all sorts of things about mitigating risks. But the default is we want to enable this visiting,” she told BBC Breakfast.
Age UK said people could now have hope that their “nightmarish, prolonged separation” from loved ones was nearing an end.
Caroline Abrahams, the director of the charity, said: “It makes sense for the first step to be to allow ‘essential care-giving visitors’ back into care homes because these individuals are so crucial to the health and wellbeing of the residents they support.”
“In their absence we know that some older people have stopped eating and drinking, despite the best efforts of staff to take their place. Sometimes, only the person you love most in the world will do.”
Liz Kendall, the shadow social care minister, said: “For the last seven months, backed by Labour and charities, families have been calling for care home visits to start again and to be treated as key workers with access to all the PPE and testing they need.
“Over this period ministers have repeatedly failed to grasp how important families are for the physical and mental health of care home residents, and the appalling impact preventing visits has caused.
“Never again must families be denied the right to visit their loved ones in care homes. To have any confidence that things will really change, we need legislation to enshrine residents’ rights to visits and end the scandal of blanket visiting bans.”
According to previous Department of Health of Social Care guidance“Visiting should be supported and enabled wherever it is possible to do so safely … This means finding the right balance between the benefits of visiting on wellbeing and quality of life, and the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to social care staff and clinically vulnerable residents.”
Different homes and local authorities have interpreted the guidance differently, leading to a postcode lottery for the relatives of those in residential care.
source: Heather Stewart
Levant
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!