Covid-19: More visits allowed to Northern Ireland care homes

Visiting at care homes has been restricted to try to protect residents from Covid-19

Covid-19 visiting restrictions in care homes in Northern Ireland are being eased from Wednesday.

Up to four people from no more than two households can now visit, with a maximum of four such visits per week allowed.

However, the easing of restrictions may not fully apply if the care home has an active Covid-19 outbreak.

The arrangements are set out in the Department of Health's Visiting With Care - A Pathway document.

More clarity has been provided around visits from clergy, and further advice added around how residents can be facilitated to leave their care home.

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Health Minister Robin Swann said visiting was now in the "Gradual Easing" phase, but emphasised that coronavirus "remains very much with us".

"I strongly encourage everyone to continue to practise effective infection prevention and control standards and make use of the widely available lateral flow testing," he added.

"Everyone should also take full advantage of the vaccination programmes, including flu jabs and the Covid vaccine booster where eligible, to keep care home residents and everyone else as safe as possible."

Robin Swann has encouraged people to make use of lateral flow testing

Pauline Shepherd, chief executive of the Independent Health and Care Providers, said the move was "really good news for families, for residents and for care homes".

However, she also said: "I'm not quite sure it will make a significant difference, because many care homes have been enabling as many visits as possible.

"We haven't had, probably in the last two months or so, any particular concerns being raised by families about needing to extend visits."

Risk assessments

Visiting at care homes had been restricted to try to protect residents from Covid-19, with face-to-face visiting stopped last April as cases rose.

Care home residents were among the first to be prioritised for vaccines and a four-stage plan for easing restrictions got under way in May 2021.

Since then, residents were able to have two visitors in their room up to three times a week, and go out on trips.

"All of this is guidance based on a risk assessment and it can be impacted by, for instance, staff shortage on a particular day," added Ms McKenna.

"If it was deemed that it wasn't safe to allow that number of visits then the care home might decide to restrict it further."

The commissioner for older people for Northern Ireland, Eddie Lynch, also welcomed the news.

"I have heard first-hand from those living in care homes just how difficult the restrictions around visiting have been, so this is very welcome news for many residents and their loved ones," he said.

"It is crucial that restrictions in care homes are not in place for longer than is absolutely necessary and with many of the restrictions being eased for the rest of society over the past few weeks and months, I'm delighted that increased visits are now being safely permitted, enabling residents to enjoy even more face-to-face contact with their loved ones.

"I would echo the health minister's warning and reminder that Covid-19 is still prevalent in society and again would urge everyone to continue to practice good personal hygiene and to avail of the vaccine and the booster vaccine where eligible."

There are two more stages in the pathway document after Gradual Easing, named Further Easing and Preparing for the Future.

That final stage would see the removal of all restrictions, dependent on public health advice.