Isolation rules too ‘restrictive’
Windsor: Mum unable to visit her triple-jabbed daughter
A woman from Windsor has lambasted ‘restrictive’ COVID-19 self-isolation rules at her daughter’s care home.
Debbie Carroll's 26-yearold daughter Annie is a triple-vaccinated resident at Mayfield House in Sutton, owned by the Active Care Group.
She claims that rules which come into force whenever a positive case is recorded there has seen her go several weeks without seeing Annie, who has learning difficulties and epilepsy.
Debbie says that when a case is found, the home was previously shut down for 14 days (now 10), with the time period restarting after every subsequent case.
Official Government guidance for care homes states that the self-isolation period for residents who test positive is now 10 days.
But the Windsor mother has raised concerns that while much of the country is getting back to normal, younger people in care homes are under strict rules, and was worried about the current system becoming ‘the norm’.
“My daughter has had both jabs and the booster – and she has had COVID – and yet still she is under the same [rules] as all the other residents,” she said.
“When you have got a child that has got learning difficulties and epilepsy,
things like FaceTime and WhatsApp video are total nonsense.
“We have gone months or weeks without her having any interaction with us. It is heart-breaking.”
The Windsor resident was hoping to bring Annie home last weekend after the most recent self-isolation period at the home ended.
“We have been as safe with her as we possibly can but if she went back on Monday and they say they have got COVID, she is locked up for 10 days,” Debbie said.
“It is so restrictive, and is this the norm now? I think this is a total overreaction. In the general public we are relaxed [but] care home people aren’t given that same freedom.
“I just feel we have missed a lot of Annie’s life in the last two years.”
Debbie’s concerns led her to write to Windsor MP Adam Afriyie, who sent a letter back earlier this month.
“The Government’s aim throughout this pandemic has been to keep people in care homes safe and well, but Ministers are very aware that visits are an important part of care home life,” he wrote.
A spokeswoman from the Active Care Group said: “Throughout the pandemic, we have at all times abided by Government restrictions and will continue to do so as advised by Public Health England.”
A Government spokesman said: “Thanks to the success of the vaccine programme, there is now no limit to the number of visitors to care homes. Caregivers should always be allowed access unless they have COVID-19 and homes need to make every effort to ensure visits take place.”
A Sutton Council spokesperson said: “Visiting is an integral part of care home life. It is vitally important for maintaining the health, wellbeing and quality of life of residents. Over the course of the pandemic, to protect all residents, staff and visitors, care homes in Sutton have followed national Government guidelines and advice from the London Coronavirus Response Cell (LCRC) about visiting.”