^{Visits to our care homes}

_{3rd May - We are aware that the government has updated its guidance around visits out of care homes and will be communicating with relatives around this shortly.}

_{In accordance with the government’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions, from 12th April, care home residents will be able to have up to two named visitors who can visit regularly indoors, either separately or together.} 

_{We must continue to take the precautions set out by the government to keep everyone as safe as possible so visitors will be required to have a rapid lateral flow test each time they arrive at the home before entering, and to wear appropriate PPE provided by the home.}

_{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.}

_{The government has also provided clearer guidance on visiting arrangements for children and young people. It is possible for a young person under the age of 18 to be one of the resident’s named visitors, in agreement with the manager. For any type of visit, children under the age of 2 do not need to be counted as one of the visitors but their presence should be agreed with the manager prior to the visit. All children (except those under the age of 3) are required to wear a mask or face covering; please bring a face covering for any children under the age of 11. As is the case with visitors of all ages, we ask that there be no close physical contact between babies or children and the residents they are visiting.}

_{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 should be pre-booked and we appreciate your continued efforts to observe social distancing, PPE and good hand hygiene practice while in and around the care home.}

_{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.}

_{Where visiting is not possible our staff will continue to support residents to remain in contact with loved ones by phone or video calling.}

_{Thank you for your continued support and understanding. If you have any questions about visiting your loved one please don’t hesitate to contact 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.}

_{In line with government restrictions, the current visiting arrangements will continue to apply, even if a resident and/or family member has been vaccinated.} 

_{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.}

_{Unfortunately given that our residents are categorised in the most vulnerable group and that the vast majority of our services are group living environments, the idea of creating a support bubble cannot apply to our houses and homes. This is because for one person to explore these new freedoms risks everybody at the house or home. We will of course keep you informed if this guidance changes.}

_{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 are applying the social distancing principle to our houses and homes as much as is feasible to reduce the risk of infection spreading between residents.} 

_{We are taking the same precautions with our staff, and any staff member displaying symptoms will not be allowed to enter our services until they have completed the required self isolation as required by Public Health bodies. 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.}

_{All visiting arrangements will be suspended (aside from those visiting residents at the end of life) where there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within a service.}

_{If a resident is approaching the end of their life, visiting will be accommodated on compassionate grounds.  You will be shown how to use the correct PPE and must wash your hands thoroughly when entering and leaving the building. Please contact the service manager in advance, who will make arrangements with you 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>Following updated government guidance that people are now able to move to a new home, we are pleased to be able to welcome new residents into our properties across England. Some restrictions may apply elsewhere. You can view our properties by going to our website homepage and can then contact the relevant home 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.

Government advice on home moving during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found here.</sub>

_{At the current time we are able to offer virtual viewings of our properties using video technology. This could be in the form of a pre-recorded video tour or you can also request a real-time video tour. 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 but this will be done via post, email or telephone/video calls.} 

_{All residents will be required to self-isolate for a period of 72 hours when they first move in.}

_{New residents will be expected to complete a 14 day period of self-isolation when they move in if they are symptomatic, have been exposed to someone with the virus or have had a positive test.}

_{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.}

_{New residents will be required to complete a COVID-19 test on admission and will be supported to self-isolate in their rooms for 14 days.}

<sub>Please refer to Government guidance on moving belongings here. 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. Specialist cleaning systems, such as fogging, are being used widely by removal companies and could be utilised after belongings have been moved in. 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. Any items of furniture or soft furnishings will only be permitted where specialist cleaning, such as fogging can be utilised after moving in.</sub>

_{We are only accepting short stay or respite admissions in exceptional circumstances. Please contact the house or home manager to discuss.}