Covid-19: Care home residents can go on outdoor trips without isolating
By Lauren Turner
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Care home residents in England can now go on low-risk trips - such as to relatives gardens or a local park - without having to self-isolate for 14 days when they return.
It comes after some families say they have felt powerless because of restrictive visits.
One woman said her mother had not been outdoors for more than 12 months and it would be amazing to take her outside.
Campaigners now want the rule change to become law, rather than just guidance.
The government brought about the change because a fall in Covid cases meant it was now much safer for care home residents to go outside. It had been threatened with legal action by the charity John s Campaign over the isolation requirement.
ADDITIONAL support is being given to care providers in Dorset as the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases continues to rise. Dorset Council is working with the care sector across the county to support them in keeping residents and staff safe during the pandemic. The council is having regular calls with care providers and is offering 24/7 emergency support. Councillor Laura Miller, Dorset Council s portfolio holder for adult social care and health, said: It is not just our statutory duty but also our moral duty to safeguard all residents and staff in care settings in Dorset. I am acutely aware that each resident is an individual person, with many families and loved ones, and out teams always have this at the forefront of everything they do in keeping people safe.
CORONAVIRUS outbreaks have gripped Dorset care homes, with dozens of residents and staff members affected. Dorset Council said Covid-19 was spreading much faster than previously which has led to higher levels of infection rates in care homes and impacting staffing numbers. Dorset Care Homes Association said there were currently 92 care homes out of 281 with open situations of Covid across the Dorset and BCP Council areas. Castleman House in Blandford Forum, and Wordsworth House Care Home in Swanage are among those affected. The council said Covid-19 is spreading much faster than previously , which has led to higher levels of infection rates in care homes and other settings and is impacting staffing numbers.
STAFFING levels across the county s care homes are being hit hard by a significant increase in Covid infections. Coronavirus is spreading much faster through care homes than ever before during the pandemic, public health officials say. And because current rates are not declining as quickly as hoped, Dorset Council says, this is having a huge impact on staffing levels across Dorset s care sector. Yesterday the Daily Echo reported how one care home in Swanage, Wordsworth House Care Home, was struggling after a large percentage of its residents and staff tested positive for the virus. Rachel Partridge, assistant director of public health for Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils, said: Unfortunately, due to the high number of cases of Covid-19 in our communities we are also seeing an increase in the number of outbreaks in care settings across Dorset.
CARE HOME residents in Bridport have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The Harbour House Care Home in West Bay was the first in the area to begin vaccinating its residents. Having announced last week that the Bridport Medical Centre had received a batch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine the organisation wasted little time in getting to work, with a team attending Harbour House yesterday to give residents their first vaccines. All but two of the home s inhabitants were able to receive the vaccine, including 100-year-old resident, Pat Blackmore. Anna Knight, registered manager at Harbour House Care Home and chairman of the Dorset Care Homes Association, said: “The whole thing was brilliantly put together in an extremely dignified manner, it was very well organised and team were first class.