The National Care Forum – the leading member association for not for profit social care providers – joins with colleagues Age UK, Relatives and Residents Association, John’s Campaign, Rights for Residents and the Registered Nursing Homes Association to call on the government to resume care home visits by 1 March 2021.
As the PM looks to unveil his roadmap for easing the national lockdown in England on 22 February an essential component of the plans must include reuniting families with their loved ones in care homes.
Vic Rayner, Executive Director of the National Care Forum said:
“Many care homes have continued to offer visiting throughout the pandemic, balancing risks with the need to retain ongoing family contact. However, all care homes must now be better supported to enable meaningful visiting and the NCF together with a number of organisations are calling on the government to ensure that by 1 March 2021, essential caregivers can, once again, visit their loved ones in care homes.
“Many family members quite understandably want to be reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible and this must be a priority in the roadmap to ease out of the lockdown. If dates have been set for the opening of bars and pubs, restaurants, schools and other industries, then the same effort and resolve must be given to opening up care homes to reunite families.
“As an integral part of the roadmap out of lockdown, it is vital that all parties address the barriers that are in place around making it possible for essential caregivers to once again be a part of care home life. This must extend to all people receiving care and support in different care settings, so they too can look forward to being reunited with their families and friends. Providers have worked incredibly hard to keep visiting as available as possible through the strictures of ever-changing guidance, and this is a moment where we pull out all the stops to make visiting happen.”
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Note to Editors:
- The National Care Forum brings together over 130 of the UK’s leading social care organisations, representing large numbers of care providers, offering thousands of services across the country, which are not for profit and always at the heart of community provision. Collectively, these organisations deliver more than £2 billion of social care support to more than 167,000 people in 9,200 settings. The NCF membership body collectively employs more than 95,500 colleagues.
- More information is available on the National Care Forum at www.nationalcareforum.org.uk. @NCFCareForum @vicrayner @NCF_Liz
- For enquiries, please contact Edna Petzen (petzen@nationalcareforum.org.uk)
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