Jodie Boucher, manager of Carr Croft Care Home in Meanwood said its time that the guidance took a step forward to allow families the long-awaited closer contact with their loved ones.
I think its a fantastic idea and I think it really needs to happen now.
We need to move forward and reunite people. Even just holding a hand, that touch and the emotion - it will just enhance the wellbeing of people.
Jodie, who is also chairwoman of Leeds registered managers network, acknowledged there will still be risks involved but said care homes now needed to start taking that risk, as safely as possible.
I cant wait. This has got to happen. These people may otherwise pass away without seeing their loved ones and thats just awful.
She added: People have missed their loved ones. Weve supported them to communicate in other ways - phone calls, outside visits, writing letters. But theres nothing that beats that human touch.
Under the plans, the nominated regular indoor visitor will be required to take a coronavirus lateral flow test before entry and personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn.
Residents will be asked not to hug or kiss their relatives, though hand holding will be permitted.
Guidance for care homes is expected to be published in the next fortnight.
As the Yorkshire Evening Post reported last week, the charity issued a rallying cry to its supporters in Leeds and Yorkshire to sign a letter calling on the Government to set out a clear timetable for the re-introduction of meaningful visits from loved ones in care homes, where at least 70 per cent of residents have dementia.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "pleased" that it would soon be possible for people to be "carefully and safely reunited with loved ones who live in care homes".
Outdoor visits - as well as those inside pods or behind screens - will be able to continue, giving residents the chance to see more than just their nominated visitor.
The Government met its target to offer all care home residents - along with social care and NHS staff, all those aged over 70 and the most clinically vulnerable - a vaccine by February 15.
Scientists believe the vaccines become effective after three weeks, meaning by March 8 all those who accepted a vaccine should have a good level of protection from Covid-19.
However, vaccination will not be a condition of visiting. Visits will also be suspended during local outbreaks in individual homes.
The Department of Health said the relaxation of the restrictions represented a balance between the risk of infection and the importance of visiting for the mental and physical wellbeing of care home residents and their families.
Mr 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."
Care Minister Helen Whately added: "One of the hardest things during this pandemic has been seeing families desperate to be reunited with their loved ones kept apart and I absolutely want to bring them back together.
"Throughout this pandemic we have sought clinical guidance on how visits can be conducted safely.
"We had to restrict the majority of visiting when the new variant was discovered but we have done all we can to enable visits to continue in some form. That includes providing funding towards costs of screens and PPE.
"As we begin to open up we will move step by step to increase visits while remembering we are still in the grip of a global pandemic."
Professor Deborah Sturdy, 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.
"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."
It comes as the Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares his "road map" out of the national lockdown, the details of which he is expected to announce on Monday.
The relaxation was welcomed by charity Age UK, whose director Caroline Abrahams said: "Hundreds of thousands of older people in care homes and their loved ones will sleep a little easier tonight, now they know the journey towards fully reopening care homes to visiting is to begin soon.
"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 and it's to the Government's credit that they have recognised this.
"However, there are relatively few of these very special people so most care home residents and their families will have to wait a little longer for permission to meet up in person again.
"Still, now they can realistically hope that their nightmarish, prolonged separation will be coming to an end soon - something that would have been inconceivable before the pandemic and that we must do everything possible to prevent from ever happening again."
However, Independent Care Group chairman Mike Padgham said: "We must sound a note of caution because Covid-19 hasn't gone away and we are caring for the most vulnerable and most susceptible to it.
"We need some clarification - for example, the announcement says holding hands will be allowed but warns against 'close contact'. How is that going to be possible? There is going to have to be some very close but compassionate supervision of these visits.
"In truth, we might have preferred a more phased return to visiting with maybe a period of no contact visits followed by some careful contact."
Shadow health and social care minister Liz Kendall 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."
Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.
The rest is here:
'Nothing beats that human touch': Leeds care home boss welcomes move to allow relatives to hold hands - Yorkshire Evening Post
- Conservative News Websites Hacked, Replaced With Page Leaking Private Information - Mediaite - May 3rd, 2024 [May 3rd, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon's album 'POST HUMAN: NeX GEn' will arrive this summer - NME - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Next Gen - East Oregonian - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- From Usher to Green Day, these are the top albums you'll want to hear in 2024! - Yahoo News UK - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- Bring Me The Horizon Unveils New Single 'Kool-Aid', Teases Upcoming Album 'Post Human' - BNN Breaking - January 10th, 2024 [January 10th, 2024]
- SPRR1A is a key downstream effector of MiR-150 during both ... - Nature.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Daily briefing: Birds build nests from anti-bird spikes - Nature.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Windsor man connected to active missing person case faces ... - Charleston Post Courier - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- How bad is a Phoenix heat wave? The perils of burning pavements ... - The Washington Post - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Human Insulin Market Demand, In-depth Analysis and Estimated ... - Digital Journal - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Film Commentary: How I Learned to Start Worrying and Fear the Bot" - artsfuse.org - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Six curators talk about the artists on their radar - ArtsHub - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- The Biggest X-Men Wins In Marvel Comics Last Five Years - CBR - Comic Book Resources - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- A mom owed nearly $102000 for her son's stay in a state mental ... - NPR - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Federal Ruling Approves Construction of North America's Largest ... - Slashdot - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Program To Attract Tech Workers From the US Hits Capacity On ... - Slashdot - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Partial convergence of the human vaginal and rectal maternal ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Tiny device mimics human vision and memory abilities - Science Daily - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- A meta-analysis of correction effects in science-relevant ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Mechanistic basis for potent neutralization of Sin Nombre hantavirus ... - Nature.com - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Doctors Are Using ChatGPT to Improve How They Talk to Patients - The New York Times - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Libya: Briefing and Consultations : What's In Blue - Security Council Report - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Water managers tend to focus on climate adaptation, shy away from ... - The Longmont Leader - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- North America's Weather Turns Weird, Wild, and Extreme. Here's Why - Slashdot - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- LSD Fact Check: Fake photos implying human with lumpy skin ... - Morung Express - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Sir Ben Okri: Being honoured means helping the human race to be ... - msnNOW - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Shock and Awe: Life in Iraq Twenty Years after the US-led Invasion - Arab Center Washington DC - June 18th, 2023 [June 18th, 2023]
- Florida man allegedly killed stepdaughters ex in front of victims 4-year-old just hours after he was awarded split custody: Police - Law & Crime - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Organ on a chip: The new lab setup scientists are using instead of animals to test new drugs - The Hindu - February 26th, 2023 [February 26th, 2023]
- QCPD arrests UP prof over alleged non-remittance of SSS contributions; orgs call for her release - GMA News Online - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Disappointing end to UK space mission as satellites fail to reach orbit - The Guardian - January 10th, 2023 [January 10th, 2023]
- We got space suits at a thrift shop for 20cents & learned theyre real NASA apparel worth $1,000s thanks t... - The US Sun - January 10th, 2023 [January 10th, 2023]
- Boeing: Space Overview - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Did Darwin Say It Is 'Not the Strongest of Species That Survives' but the 'Most Adaptable'? - Snopes.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Descendant of 'Dracula' author to share 'story behind the story' - Bowling Green Daily News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor: Our Readers' Opinions - Lewiston Morning Tribune - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Royal commission into veteran suicides to commence hearings in Darwin this week - ABC News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- GOP secretary of state nominees will appear at event with Lara Logan, who pushes antisemitic conspiracy theories - Media Matters for America - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Augmenting the past to appeal to new museum audiences - ArtsHub - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Hard-hit citrus industry in Florida will mean higher consumer prices - FreshPlaza.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Chorley teen with Asperger's selected to represent the UK in judo at Virtus Games in Australia - Lancashire Evening Post - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The Datasets Were Looking At This Week - FiveThirtyEight - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Before Dark Web, The First Appearance Of Spider-Clone Ben Reilly - Bleeding Cool News - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Wrangler Clone Jeep Wants To Ban - SlashGear - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Range Rover stolen in Birmingham found in Scotland with cloned plates - Birmingham Live - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The 10 Best Clones in 'Star Wars' Canon, Ranked - We Got This Covered - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Lori Harvey is Dating 'They Cloned Tyrone' Star John Boyega - TheTealMango - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- John Oliver Warns Us About a Trump Clone With the Army on His Side - Rolling Stone - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Hold court in house once owned by Clones rugby and tennis star - Independent.ie - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- OnePlus 11R Specs Reveal A OnePlus 10T Clone Almost - Android Headlines - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- What the $70 iPhone 14 Pro Max clone offers - Royals Blue - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- UK Government Bodies Behind Nanotechnology Research Funding - AZoNano - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- Bar-Ilan University researchers produce nanodiamonds capable of delivering medicinal and cosmetic remedies through the skin - EurekAlert - August 30th, 2022 [August 30th, 2022]
- BYD to Participate in the 2022 Paris Motor Show and reveal Dolphin, Seal, and Yuan Plus for Europe - CarNewsChina - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 is not coming to CBS in August 2022 - Web News Observer - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- The Absolute Best Ways To Keep Bell Peppers Fresh - Tasting Table - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh Set the Runway on Fire; Manish Malhotra calls them Phenomenal - News18 - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- ITR filing: Having trouble with e-verification, legal heir registration, check these FAQs by Income Tax Dept - Times Now - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Moomoo Releases New Data: 84% Of US Adults Regularly Worry About Their Finances; Fewer Than Half Had Money Management Education - PR Newswire - May 20th, 2022 [May 20th, 2022]
- Could Will Smith lose his Oscar? Explaining the Academy's code of conduct - New York Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Supercharging the future by balancing technology with human intervention - Firstpost - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Bring Me The Horizon Have Achieved Their First Ever Billboard 100 Track With 'Maybe' - ROCKSOUND.TV - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- The internet is crucial - Human Rights Watch - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review - Niche Gamer - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Plastic microparticles discovered in human blood for the first time - National Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Ukraine: War and the Challenge of Human Rights in the U.S. and Beyond - Scheerpost.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Teen girls accused of abducting baby told mother they were human trafficking victims - National Post - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Amnesty International Report 2021/22: The state of the world's human rights [EN/AR] - World - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Who Was Leonora Carrington? The Untold Story of the Mystical Surrealist Whose Visions Shaped the 2022 Venice Biennale - artnet News - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Time Has Come for Women & Girls in The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Human Centric Lighting Market Top Players, Size, Emerging Trends, Share, Growth, Insights, Industry Analysis, and Forecasts Report 2027 - Digital... - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- COVID-19 symptoms are reduced by targeted hydration of the nose, larynx and trachea | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Winner with a human touch: Girmay finds a home from home at Intermarch - Cyclingnews.com - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Update on the Democratic Republic of Congo, 29 March 2022 - Democratic Republic of the Congo - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Israel's 55-year occupation of Palestinian Territory is apartheid UN human rights expert - occupied Palestinian territory - ReliefWeb - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- Pope evokes specter of nuclear war wiping out humanity - National Post - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- The Future is Vast: Longtermism's perspective on humanity's past, present, and future - Our World in Data - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Human costs mount in the third week of war in Ukraine - Al Jazeera English - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- 'Human hunter' sentenced to seven months for chasing couple with machete - Calgary Herald - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]
- Here's How The Human Brain Reboots Itself After The Deep Sleep of Anesthesia - ScienceAlert - March 17th, 2022 [March 17th, 2022]