^{Updated 31 August 2021}

^{Visits to our care homes}

^{In line with government guidance, there is no restriction on the total number of Named Visitors that a resident can nominate for indoor visits. However, to enable safe visiting opportunities for all residents, it is Abbeyfield’s policy that each resident may continue to receive up to two Named Visitors at a time or over one day. This limit does not include any essential visitors.}

^{Before every indoor visit, each Named Visitor is required to have a rapid lateral flow test and produce a negative result. If you are not testing on-site you will be asked to provide evidence of a negative test result from earlier that day.}

^{Every care home resident may nominate an Essential Caregiver to visit the home to visit the home to attend to their essential care needs and immediate health and wellbeing. Essential Caregivers will be enabled to visit in all circumstances, including if the care home is in outbreak, as far as possible and will be part of the home’s regular testing programme. If you would like to find out more about the Essential Caregiver role, please speak to the relevant Care Home Manager.}

^{Residents can also continue to receive visitors without the need for rapid lateral flow testing using outdoor and ‘screened’ visits in line with local arrangements at the individual home. Outdoor or ‘screened’ visitors are subject to an upper limit of no more than five visitors at any one time or over the course of one day.}

^{Babies and pre-school age children do not count as one of the visitors allowed at any one time, but we ask that each visiting adult brings only one baby or pre-school age child. Please ensure any children are supervised by a responsible adult at all times and that any children over the age of three wear a face covering of their own.}

^{Visiting options will depend on the circumstances of the individual home, facilities and surrounding environment so please do contact your home to find out what the options are.}

^{All visits, whether indoors or outdoors, should be pre-booked and a screening form completed. We encourage you to observe social distancing and appreciate your continued efforts to practice good hand hygiene while in and around the care home, and to wear any PPE provided to you. Though face coverings are no longer required by law, all visitors should continue to wear a mask provided by the home.}

^{Named Visitors and Essential Caregivers may hold hands if hand washing protocols are followed. Close personal contact such as hugging presents higher risks but will be safer if it is between people who are double vaccinated, without face-to-face contact, and there is brief contact only.}

^{As always, where there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within the home, all but essential visits will be paused until the outbreak is over.}

^{While those who are fully vaccinated no longer need to self-isolate if they have been identified as a 'close contact' of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, in line with government guidance and due to the vulnerability of residents, only essential visits will be allowed to take place by individuals who are 'close contacts'.}

^{If you have any questions about visiting your loved one please don’t hesitate to contact the home manager.}

^{Visits out of our care homes}

^{Updated 31 August}

^{The government updated its guidance on Visits out of care homes and Admission and care of people in care homes in line with societal changes with effect from 16 August.} 

^{Residents are able to leave the care home subject to an individualised risk assessment for each visit out of the home. Except for visits assessed to be high-risk and unplanned overnight stays in hospital, residents do not need to self-isolate on their return.}

^{Testing is required for the person accompanying the resident out and is advised for others who will be involved in the outing.}

^{Despite changes in self-isolation requirements for the general public, visits out should not take place for 10 days if a resident or anyone involved in the proposed visit out has been identified as a close contact of a COVID-positive individual.} 

^{Please discuss any arrangements for visits out with the Home Manager in advance so that the appropriate risk assessment can be completed and arrangements made for the outing.}

^{Visits to our supported housing settings}

^{Updated 31 August}

^{While there are no longer any legal restrictions on the number of people that you can meet, Abbeyfield housing residents are asked not to have more than two visitors indoors at any one time. We would be grateful if this could be adhered to. This is to reflect the high transmission of COVID-19 at the current time and increased risks associated with communal living arrangements where facilities are shared and the size of the accommodation in traditional Abbeyfield houses.}

^{Children are able to visit under the close supervision of an adult from their household, and any child under the age of two does not need to be counted towards the number of visitors.}

^{In line with government recommendation for people to participate in testing to reduce the risk of introduction of infection through asymptomatically infected people, all indoor visitors are strongly advised to participate in our testing and screening processes. If on-site testing is not available at the property, the test can be carried out at a local community testing centre, or at home using a home testing kit.}

^{Residents are asked to limit the number of outdoor visitors to no more than five at any one time. This is to enable other residents to also receive visitors outdoors at the same time. Outdoor visitors do not need to complete a rapid lateral flow test although  we do ask thaat you complete a screening form, and avoid going inside the property during your visit. Children under the age of 18 can visit in the garden as long as they are accompanied by a supervising adult.}

^{Please continue to pre-book all visits, whether indoors or in the garden, as far as possible. Testing and screening do not completely remove all risk so we encourage you to observe social distancing and appreciate your continued efforts to practice good hand hygiene while in and around the property, and wear any PPE provided for you. Masks are not required for outdoor visits but should be worn indoors.}

^{While fully vaccinated individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a COVID-positive person no longer need to self-isolate, we would discourage you from visiting if you have been identified as a ‘close contact’ for 10 days (from the point of contact) to protect your loved one and other residents.}

^{Where there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within the setting, all but essential visits will stop until further advice is given from the local health protection team.}

^{If you have any queries please contact the individual house.}

^{Visits to our independent living settings}

^{In our independent living settings, where all accommodation is self-contained and there are no shared facilities, the government no longer limits the number of indoor visitors allowed. However, in recognition of the increased risks of Abbeyfield settings and particularly where access is through communal areas, we continue to ask our residents to restrict the number of indoor visitors as far as possible.}

^{Where possible, we would be grateful if the number of outdoor visitors is restricted to no more than five. This enables other residents to also receive visitors outdoors in the garden at the same time.}

^{In line with government recommendation for people to participate in testing to reduce the risk of introduction of infection through asymptomatically infected people, we continue to ask visitors to undertake a rapid lateral flow test prior to entering the property and to complete a screening form. Masks are not required for outdoor visits but should be worn indoors.} 

^{While fully vaccinated individuals who have been identified as a close contact of a COVID-positive person no longer need to self-isolate, we would discourage you from visiting if you have been identified as a ‘close contact’ for 10 days (from the point of contact) to protect your loved one and other residents.}

^{If you are unsure about anything please speak to the home manager.}

_{We are currently working with the Local Authorities and NHS trusts on facilitating the roll out of the vaccine for our staff and residents, including the mandatory vaccination of all care home staff from November 2021.}

_{The current visiting arrangements outlined above continue to apply, even if a resident and/or family member has been fully vaccinated.} 

_{As outlined in the government’s guidance, vaccination is one of our best defences to combat infection. It significantly reduces the transmission of infection, particularly after 2 doses. The government strongly recommends that residents and visitors receive 2 doses of the vaccine before conducting visits or outings.}

_{The safety of our residents and staff remains our top priority and we continue to maintain the same standards of vigilance in protecting them from infection.}

_{Our priority continues to be preventing the spread of COVID-19 and maintaining the safety of our residents, their visitors and our staff.}

_{In light of the advice that older people must be particularly cautious, we continue to are apply the social distancing principle to our houses and homes as much as is feasible to reduce the risk of infection spreading.}

_{We are taking the same precautions with our staff, and any staff member with confirmed COVID-19 or displaying symptoms will not be allowed to enter our services until they have completed the required self isolation period. We provide regularly updated guidance to all of our employees and have appropriate stocks of PPE to ensure our staff can care for all residents safely and minimise any potential risk of COVID-19 transmission.}

_{Since the beginning of the pandemic we have introduced more stringent cleaning measures and continue to do so. To help reduce the risk of infection we are supporting residents to wash their hands with soap and water on a more frequent basis and are offering alcohol hand gel throughout the day.}

_{If a resident is approaching the end of their life, visiting will always be accommodated. Please speak to the manager who will make arrangements so that you can visit your relative safely.}

_{We are continuing to do everything we can to keep life as normal as possible for our residents during the pandemic. Being isolated and unable to see loved ones for weeks on end can have a detrimental effect on both physical and mental health, so it has been more important than ever to support our residents through this difficult time. We have been finding creative ways to provide entertainment and a sense of connection with others such as a pen-pal scheme, activity packs, games, virtual tours and exercise classes. Our dedicated staff team is on-hand to support residents to stay in touch with their loved ones through regular letters, phone-calls and video chats. They are also spending 1:1 time with residents to lower the risk of social isolation.}

_{We are also grateful for the kindness and generosity of a number of individuals and organisations who have donated over 5,000 books, 500 games, over 60 tablets, DVD players, DVDs, and decks of playing cards. These have helped residents remain mentally stimulated, learn new things, enjoy interacting with each other, and communicate via technology with friends and family.}

_{We will continue to adapt to the changing situation by trying to source additional items for our residents where needed, and keeping our residents’ physical and mental health at the forefront of all we do.}    

_{Our Member Societies are independent organisations, subject to the regulations in their country.  However, we are in regular contact with the staff and volunteers who manage these Societies and share with them the guidance we provide to our centrally managed services.}

_{If you have any questions about your loved ones please do not hesitate to contact the house or home manager where they reside. Alternatively, if you have any queries regarding our management of COVID-19 you can email covid19@abbeyfield.com}

<sub>We continue to welcome new residents into our properties. You can view our properties by going to our website homepage and searching for the relevant house or area. Please then contact the relevant manager to see if there is availability.

In order to ensure the safety of our residents and staff and reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 we have had to adapt our process for new admissions in both housing and care services.  Please see below for more information.</sub>

^{Following the easing of restrictions viewings can take place on-site although virtual viewings (which may be a pre-recorded video tour or a video call) should continue to be offered where appropriate.}

_{Please contact the house or home manager to discuss the available options.}

^{We will continue to complete a pre-admission assessment with all new residents.  Under normal circumstances, care homes would arrange to visit the person to assess their needs and preferences before admission. Assessment visits may take place where required with appropriate precautions in place.  Alternatively, the assessment may be completed using post, email or telephone/video calls with the person and other relevant individuals involved.} 

_{All residents will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 rapid test result on the day of admission.}

_{New residents are not required to self-isolate on admission to our supported housing settings - aside from those being discharged from hospital directly into a supported house following an emergency (unplanned) admission, in line with government guidance.} 

_{We will be flexible around moving in arrangements. An admission might need to be delayed, for example if the new resident becomes ill with COVID-19 during the moving process or has to self-isolate, or there is a suspected or confirmed case in the house.}

^{Residents moving in to a care home do not need to complete a 14-day self-isolation period if they satisfy the below requirements:}

• ^{they are fully vaccinated, plus two weeks, wherever possible}
• ^{local guidance from the Director of Public Health about community transmission of variants of concern is followed}
• ^{they have had no known contact with a COVID-positive person}
• ^{there are no circumstances at the resident’s home, prior to admission, that would impact on COVID-19 transmission}
• ^{they are willing to complete the required testing regime}

^{However, in line with government guidance, new residents being discharged from hospital directly to a care home following an admission for emergency (unplanned) care will be required to self-isolate, upon arrival, for 14 days, within their own room.}

^{Any self-isolating resident will be enabled to receive visits from their Essential Caregiver at all times during the period of self-isolation, provided the Essential Caregiver and the resident are not symptomatic or COVID-19 positive.}

<sub>New residents should ensure they have arrangements in place for cleaning, packing, transporting and unpacking their belongings, which minimise the risk of contact transmission of COVID-19 on surfaces. All clothing should be laundered before being brought into the property. Our infection prevention and control measures for visitors will also apply to anyone assisting with the move.

New residents to our care homes are advised to only bring essential items with them when they move in.</sub>

_{We are accepting short stay respite admissions, as long as the resident satisfies the requirements for admissions from the community listed above. Please contact the house or home manager to discuss.}