Vic Rayner, Executive Director of the National Care Forum
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 1st March 2021.
As the PM looks to unveil his roadmap for easing the national lockdown in England on 22nd
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.”