Crosslet House care home where residents will have to wait for a hug.
By Democrat reporter
Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton Constituency, has welcomed new Scottish Government guidance for care homes which now recognises the importance of social interaction and indoor visits between residents and family members.
Ms Baillie, who represents Helensburgh, Dumbarton and Vale of Leven, has repeatedly asked for consideration to be given to resuming indoor visits in care homes.
She has stressed the importance of social interaction – including physical touch – and has previously raised concerns about the impact that a lack of interaction is having on the mental health and well-being of care home patients.
The new guidance now allows for:
* Extending indoor visits between residents and their designated visitor to up to four hours;
* Extending outdoor visits to up to an hour with up to six visitors from no more than two households, including children and young people;
- Increasing personal interaction, including hugs or hand holding, as long as strict PPE and infection prevention control measures are met;
- Resuming well-being activities and visits by professionals.
The guidance also recommends that hairdressers be supported to return to care homes, with safety measures in place.
The guidance has stated that care homes should only resume visiting when they have been free of COVID-19 for 28 days, are participating actively in the care home worker testing programme, and have had their visiting risk assessments approved by the local Director of Public Health (or delegated official).
Unfortunately those areas that face additional restrictions, which includes West Dunbartonshire, will not be able to implement the new guidance yet, but it is hoped that they will be able to do so when the restrictions are lifted. In the meantime the new guidance applies to care homes in Helensburgh and Lomond.
Jackie Baillie has also called for family caregivers to be allowed to re-join the care teams for their relatives who are in care homes and supported accommodation settings. She described family caregivers as being “key workers” who played a “vital role” in the care that care home and supported accommodation residents received.
She said: “Allowing family members to hug their loved ones doesn’t sound like much but this contact will go such a long way in providing much needed interaction and a sense of normality.
“Our care homes have truly been at the epicentre of the Covid-19 crisis. Care home staff have been working around the clock in unimaginable circumstances and they have provided a fantastic level of care to their patients.
“Letting families hug their loved ones will be a welcome reward for all those who have had to endure the last seven months in almost total isolation.
Labour’s Jackie Baillie and LibDem leader Willie Rennie.
“It is vital that local health and social care partnerships, health boards and the Scottish Government give care homes all the support that they need so that they can begin to implement this new guidance quickly and safely.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has today said the belated decision to relax visiting restrictions at Scottish care homes will be little comfort to those who have lost relatives over the past eight months.
The Health Secretary has today announced that visiting restrictions in Scotland’s care homes are to be relaxed. Up to six people from two households will now be able to pay visits of up to one hour, while indoor visits will also be extended from 30 minutes to four hours.
Mr Rennie said: “Alongside a host of passionate and eloquent campaigners, over the past few months I have repeatedly raised with the First Minister the importance of allowing families to be together after months of separation. That separation has caused much heartache and impacted directly on the health of both residents and families.
“There should be no further delay with lifting the cruel restrictions so that families can be together. I welcome the prospect of change but I will applaud it when families get to be together.
“As soon as we had testing capacity, steps should have been taken to allow this to happen. Today’s announcement is a sensible one but it will be little comfort to those who have lost relatives over the past eight months.”