Wessex Care Visiting Protocol during Covid-19 Pandemic. Last updated 07/10/2021 In line with the latest guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England and the Care Provider Alliance and the rapidly changing climate both nationally and locally, we are continuing to develop our approach to visiting across all the Wessex Care homes. Due to the diverse and complex needs of those we care for, the logistical challenges posed by our individual homes as well as the ever-changing situation with COVID-19, these protocols will vary from home to home and person to person and may be subject to change, wholly or in part, without notice. That said, we will endeavour to maintain clear and consistent communication with all parties as we navigate the next steps of this ongoing journey. As per this latest guidance, we are exploring a variety of different approaches to visits which we hope will enable us to accommodate the needs of everyone involved although, it must be understood that our priority is, and will always be, the wellbeing of our residents and staff and as such, we will not be able to acquiesce to the wishes of every individual and some degree of compromise will inevitably be required. Now that the majority of adults in the UK, including most care home residents, have been double vaccinated against COVID-19, and a large number of staff having now received the booster vaccine and with the booster vaccine being made available very soon to the residents we are confident that we can now relax more of the restrictions around visiting which, whilst they have presented a number of challenges, have served to protect the wellbeing of residents, staff and visitors alike over the past 18 months or so. We are rightly proud of what we have achieved so far and we recognise that this has been very much a collective effort which has demanded so much from all involved and it will continue to require a consistent and unified approach from all parties if we are going to move forward safely and successfully to the next stage of enabling more frequent visits. From October 18th 2021, visits will no longer need to be pre-booked with our head office team and there will be no restriction on the number of visitors who can enter the home at any one time, although we ask that if you intend to visit a resident in a group greater than 3 you notify the home before hand to check this is okay with the resident in question. Each home will have designated visiting times which we would kindly ask visitors to observe. All visits will take place in residents’ rooms or garden (weather permitting) allowing for a more relaxed and comfortable visit and we recommend visits last for a maximum of 1 hour wherever possible. Please ensure you notify a staff member when you intend to leave as the space you have visited will need to be disinfected. While we are keen to reunite our residents with their families and friends after such an extended period of isolation and restriction, any increase in footfall through the homes will invariably bring with it greater risk of community based transmission of not only COVID-19 but other infections (most notably at this time of year, FLU and NOROVIRUS) and we ask everyone visiting our homes to play their part in minimising this risk by remaining vigilant and continuing to observe good hand hygiene and appropriate use of PPE at all times whilst on site. Testing and Vaccinations VISITORS ARE STILL REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE A NEGATIVE LATERAL FLOW TEST RESULT BEFORE VISITING ANY WESSEX CARE SETTING. As more and more of us are now able to carry out regular Lateral Flow tests at home, we would encourage as many of our visitors to test themselves on the day of a visit and to register the result via the NHS reporting website which can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. Please register your result with the UON number that relates to the home you are visiting where possible: ·The Kimberlies (West & East) – 10120699, Little Manor 10171940, Milford Manor – 10079630, Holmwood – 10020337. You can request lateral flow kits from this website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/regular-rapid-coronavirus-tests-if-you-do-not-have-symptoms/. Or you can pick up a kit from our head office, as long as we have the supplies to do this. Please do let us know if you are genuinely struggling to source your own test kits and we will endeavour to support you in this. Wherever possible, visitors should avoid crowded places and, where possible, refrain from coming into contact with others, visiting shops, etc. prior to visiting so as to minimise the chance of infection. ***LATEST UPDATE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH - OCTOBER 2021*** The DPH in Wiltshire has informed care providers of very high levels of infection rates in Wiltshire in 14 to 19 year olds and advises that our risk assessments should take this into account and should also include those living with 14 to 19 year olds. The recommendation is that those in the 14 to 19 year old age bracket do not visit care homes until infection rates in that age group reduce. Those living with 14 to 19 year olds who wish to visit should be especially vigilant and, while it is not a requirement for family/social visitors to be vaccinated in order to visit care homes in England, we would recommend that any visitors have received both doses of a COVID19 vaccine and would ask that anyone in regular close contact with a 14 to 19 year old takes a PCR test and a lateral flow test prior to visiting until infection rates subside. Each Wessex Care home will now be equipped with an Infection Control station which will be placed at the door for use by all visitors before they enter the building. On arrival at the home Wash and sanitise hands using the handwash station and hand sanitiser provided Use thermometer to check temperature and record results (if above 37.4oC, visit cannot proceed). Document on visitors log. Use oximeter to check oxygen saturation and record results (if below 94%, visit cannot proceed). Document on visitors log. Ensure the visitors log has been fully completed. If lateral flow test has not already been carried out, use test kit provided and record results. The result must be registered in order to enter. Staff will ask to see you lateral flow test result. Don all necessary PPE – surgical mask (not cloth masks), apron, shoe covers (or sanitising spray). PPE level may be increased without notice. Ring call bell to alert staff once the above steps have been completed. If there are other visitors waiting to enter, please use common sense and maintain social distancing wherever possible. Please be patient. The government advises that children under the age of 11 should not be routinely tested for Covid19 and Wessex Care are not permitted to test children under the age of 18. If children between the ages of 11 and 18 are visiting, they must have a private lateral flow test and be able to demonstrate a negative result before visiting. Our tests kits can not be used for children of this age. General Visiting Protocols Updated visiting agreement to be completed and returned prior to the first visit. To reflect the changes to our visiting policy outlined in this document, we have also had to amend the visiting agreement which many visitors will have already completed (some of you more than once). Please take the time to complete the new Visiting Agreement and click ‘submit’ to send it back to us. If you have any problems with the form, please do let us know at the head office. Some visits may be supervised/supported by a member of staff to ensure adherence to the guidance, although this would not be common practice. Visits are not permitted to be socially distanced with your loved one but appropriate social distancing should be observed at all times with staff and other residents. If children are visiting our care homes, it is the responsibility of accompanying adults to ensure their children maintain appropriate social distancing at all times throughout the visit. All visitors must wear appropriate PPE at all times. The level of PPE required may vary depending on the type of visit. Hand hygiene/sanitizing must be observed at all times. There are now hand-wash stations for use by visitors located in all Wessex Care homes, these should be used before and after each visit. Visitors must sign to confirm that they have not been unwell within the past 14 days prior to the scheduled visit, and have not come into contact with anybody that has been unwell with COVID related symptoms within the last 14 days. Visitors to inform Wessex Care HQ immediately if they become unwell/present symptoms up to seven days after a visit. Visitors are not permitted to visit if they have travelled outside of the country or to a restricted area of the UK within the last 14 days. Wessex Care reserves the right to cancel any and all visits without notice if it is deemed necessary to protect residents and staff wellbeing. Visitors agree that Wessex Care temporarily retain contact information for all visitors (name, mobile phone number, email and postal address) to support ‘Track and Trace’. Although we would seek to give as much notice as possible, visits may be cancelled without notice if Wessex Care receives notice from the Director of Public Health that there is an increased risk of infection either in the locality of the care setting being visited or the locality from which a visitor is travelling. Each home will have its own designated visiting hours which should be observed. Any visits outside of visiting hours must be authorized in advance: The Kimberlies and Holmwood - 10:30-12:00, 14:00-17:00, 18:30-20:00. Milford Manor - 10:30-12:00, 14:00-17:00 & 18:30-20:00. Little Manor - Monday to Friday 14:00-17:00 & 18:30-20:00, Saturday & Sundays - 10:30-12:00, 14:00-17:00, 18:30-20:00. Visits will be for no longer than 60 minutes unless otherwise stated Visitors are welcome to bring gifts for their loved ones but these must be packaged in such a way to allow for them to be sanitised/wiped down, please ensure the gifts you bring have been sanitized. Wessex Care will be implementing an ongoing auditing process to monitor compliance and effectiveness of these new protocols and we would encourage all visitors and staff to be vigilant and to support each other to ensure everyone is adhering to the new procedures to minimise the risk of infection. Any visitor found to be deliberately flouting the visiting protocols will not be authorised to visit until senior management are assured that they are able to comply. Outward Visits - Residents Leaving the home Government guidance states that some residents may now leave their residential care settings for outdoor visits with loved ones without the need to self-isolate on their return. We are keen to continue to support these visits but it must be understood that they do bring with them an increased level of risk not only for the individual but for the wider population of the home. All ‘outward’ visits should still be booked in advance with the homes directly so that residents can be ready to leave when visitors arrive. Visitors must demonstrate a negative result from a lateral flow test prior to taking their loved one out of the home. We would ask where possible that the resident and anybody coming into contact with the resident wears a mask during outdoor visits, hand hygiene is maintained and social distancing observed. If taking a resident in a private vehicle, the vehicle should be sanitised before the visit. Wessex Care can provide ‘fogging’ machines to assist with this if needed. Residents should not use public transport wherever possible. Outward visits should avoid busy locations to reduce the risk of community transmission. Outward Visits - Overnight Visits The scope of outward visits was recently extended to include overnight stays and, while this is, of course, a welcome development, these too bring with them an increased risk of infection. Overnight visits should be organised well in advance and in close consultation with the individual care setting to ensure they can proceed as safely as possible. An overnight visit should adhere to all of the above guidance in relation to outdoor visits. If a resident is staying overnight then care should be taken to ensure the place they are staying is clean, sanitised, well ventilated with clean bed sheets. Of course, it is clearly understood that there are many benefits associated with having in-person connection with family and friends and there is evidence to suggest that the health and wellbeing (both physical and emotional) of care home residents has been jeopardised by the lack of these connections during the pandemic. What needs to be ascertained is the balance between the potential benefits to health of having visits and the risk posed by a potential COVID-19 infection. All residents will have an individual risk assessment drawn up which aims to help us strike that balance effectively. DHSC and PHE guidance states that ‘prior to visits being allowed in care homes the Director of Public Health in every area should disseminate their view on the suitability of visiting in the local authority area’ but also that the ‘the decision on whether or not to allow visitors, and in what circumstances, is an operational decision and therefore ultimately for the provider and manager of each individual setting to make’. Should the local area DPH advise of a potential outbreak in the vicinity of our settings, we will take the precautionary measure of postponing all visits immediately until the extent of the outbreak and possible threat to residents and staff can be ascertained. Resident Risk Assessments for Visits Every resident must be risk assessed to identify where the benefits of having familial contact outweighs the risk of contracting COVID-19 from a visitor. It is important that we also consider the risks to the health of the wider population of each home (including staff) posed by the relaxing of our visiting protocols. The section in the individual risk assessment which covers existing health conditions is based upon the COVID-19 Risk Assessment written by the BMA and follows their scoring guidelines. Not all sections of the individual risk assessment are easily quantified and will require consideration based upon a number of factors including the individual’s visiting history, current and historical health, the individual’s mobility and the logistical realities of the care setting in which they live. Wessex Care have adopted a Red, Amber, Green scale which will be applied to the outcomes of each individual resident’s risk assessment. Where a resident falls within the Red category, we would have to implement a mitigation strategy with the aim of bringing them into the Amber or Green category. This might include the use of enhanced levels of PPE. Residents who are deemed to lack capacity - If it is deemed that a resident lacks capacity and is therefore unable to make a decision regarding visits, then only the person that holds Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare can consent to visits for that resident. If there is no Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare then we will seek a Best Interests Decision which will include the key people involved in their care - family/friends, their Social Worker (if applicable), Head of Care/Manager and Key Worker, GP, advocate and will, of course, take the residents’ own comments and feelings into consideration. Residents with underlying health issues - Many of our residents are living with underlying health issues which make them particularly susceptible to COVID-19 and makes it far more likely that contracting COVID-19 will result in serious illness or death. The individual risk assessment will consider their current level of health and the outcome will form the basis upon which any decision around visits will be made. Residents and issues with masks/face-coverings - It has been observed that a very small number of people can have great difficulty in accepting staff or visitors wearing masks or face coverings. The severity, intensity and/or frequency of the behaviours of concern may place them, visitors or the supporting staff at risk of harm. If there is evidence to suggest that there is the potential for harm, Wessex Care reserves the right to cancel scheduled visits or to review the kind of visits available to a particular resident. If visors or clear face coverings are available, use of these may be considered as a means of mitigating the risk. Exceptional Circumstances - Exceptions to some of the protocols laid out in this policy may include: Special occasions – we may be able to arrange visits outside of agreed visiting times to take special occasions into account – significant birthdays, etc. These would have to be discussed on a case- by-case basis and authorised by Wessex Care HQ. End of life palliative care has always been considered as an exceptional circumstance limited to the period, within a week, just prior to the expected passing as determined by a Doctor, other appropriate clinical specialist or Head of Care / Care Manager. This requires authorisation from Wessex Care HQ. Where a care plan review / assessment identifies a significant deterioration in the mental health welfare of the residents attributable to a lack of contact with family. This requires authorisation from Wessex Care HQ. Matthew, Pauline, Christian, Jodie Directors Kimberly West Care Centre 27 Tollgate Road Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2JA 01722 322494 Kimberly East Care Centre 27 Tollgate Road Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2JA 01722 328315 Little Manor Care Centre Manor Farm Road Salisbury Wilts SP1 2RS 01722 341764 Milford Manor Residential Home Milford Manor Gardens Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2RN 01722 338652 Holmwood Residential Home 30 Fowlers Road Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2QU 01722 331130 Community Services & Head Office Wessex Care 11 Tollgate Road Salisbury SP1 2JA 01722 336933 What We Do Care Homes Welfare & Wellbeing Community Services Who We Are About Us Latest News Why Choose Wessex Care? Careers Important Information Covid-19 Visiting Protocol Resources & Useful Information Privacy Policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Copyright Wessex Care Ltd 2021. Website by Blue Bee. Company Registration No.:4677336. Site Map This website uses cookies By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Read more STRICTLY NECESSARY PERFORMANCE TARGETING UNCLASSIFIED ACCEPT ALL DECLINE ALL SHOW DETAILS