Survey highlights extent of visiting restrictions in care
24 October 2022
New data from a survey of over 650 families highlights how the harm of isolation in care homes continues.
The data shows COVID outbreaks are still rampant in care homes, resulting in harsh visiting restrictions, beyond what is required by Government guidance:
Almost 60% of respondents reported their loved one’s care home had been in lockdown between April-September this year
Only a quarter of these homes followed Government guidance and allowed one visitor at a time during the outbreak period
Over 60% of these homes applied additional restrictions – over and above what is required by Government guidance during an outbreak. The most common was to allow only one named visitor per resident (32%)
The vast majority of homes implementing this ‘one named visitor’ rule told families they were following advice from local public health teams and/or the local authority (71%)
In 11% of outbreaks, residents were not allowed any visitors at all
The online survey was carried out in collaboration with campaign group Rights For Residents . The survey asked people who had a friend or family member living in a care home in England about their experiences of visiting restrictions from April-September 2022. In particular we asked about any additional visiting restrictions (aside from the ‘one at a time’ rule stipulated in Government guidance) that were applied during outbreaks, and the reasons given by the care setting if additional restrictions were imposed. We also asked whether care homes were still applying any visiting restrictions outside of known outbreak situations.
Helen Wildbore, director of the Relatives & Residents Association, said:
“Whilst life has gone back to normal for the rest of the country, people living in care have been left behind. Too many are still facing harmful restrictions on their daily lives, all in the name of ‘protection’ and ‘public health’, without recognition of the damage of isolation. Two and half years on and we still haven’t learnt the most basic lesson from this pandemic: without the support of loved ones, people’s mental and physical health suffers greatly. Undervaluing this support is dehumanising not only for the person living in care, but also for their friends and relatives.”
Diane Mayhew, co-founder of the Rights for Residents campaign, said:
“Our survey underlines the urgent need for the rights of residents, young and old, to be legally upheld. We must ensure those in care homes and hospitals have a legal right to at least one essential Care Supporter that can visit them in any circumstances. Families have been forced to stand aside and witness the devastating effects that isolation has had on their vulnerable loved ones throughout the pandemic. On being forcibly separated from their closest family members many simply gave up the will to live. Families are not just visitors, they are the eyes, ears and voices of those that can’t be heard and they provide an element of care that cannot be replicated by paid carers, no matter how wonderful they are.”
Read the summary of the survey, or the full survey report