Care homes' concerns over visiting plans
North East care home bosses have raised concerns over Government plans to allow relatives to visit loved ones.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that more than a million rapid testing kits will be distributed so that visitors can be checked for Covid-19 before being allowed in to see residents.
But care providers in the region fear this could compromise infection control and put added stress on homes which say they are already receiving calls from relations asking when they can visit.
Care home bosses bosses say staff have not yet received any training on how to use the tests and they are concerned about what they say is a hastily thoughtout plan.
Keith Gray, from Care North East–which represents hundreds of homes across the region–said: "We know how difficult it has been for people not to have been able to see their relations in the past months and, while we understand the sentiment behind this decision, the Government has not taken into account the practicalities of it."
He said that testing visitors would take staff away from their regular jobs and there are also concerns about the sheer number of visitors wanting to visit at once.
Mr Gray said: "There is a lot of concern among our members that this hasn't really been thought through properly."
The National Care Forum has welcomed the Government's plans, but stressed the need for support to make them happen, saying the move is "on the money – but without the money!"