In May we carried out a survey (from 10th -21st) to give an overall idea of what is happening. Thank you to 1,177 people who completed it. Today more changes come - we very much hope that some of the results below rapidly change as well - Thread to follow: #rightsforresidents
The first question: where is your relative/friend in a care home - We got replies from across the UK (88.7% England, 6.2% Scotland, 3.4% Wales and 1.6% NI) #rightsforresidents
The results of this next question shows a reflection of the care home 'market' and how a large % is run but Care Groups of all sizes #rightsforresidents
We asked for the name of the Care Group and again got a very wide range - below the graph shows those where we received 5 or more responses for #rightsforresidents
Has your Care Home carried out an individual risk assessment. This is part of the guidance and it is essential that they should be carried out so that individual plans can be made for each resident, after all, all our needs and requirements are different #rightsforresidents
Have you asked for Essential Care Giver Status - surprisingly (or not according to the managers we speak to) it is not a large % that have asked for this #rightsforresidents
BUT of those that have asked the majority have had it denied. The reasons given vary:
It is not necessary
We are not doing that and will not consider it
It needs to go to head office
It is not our policy
The list of excuses goes on - this must change #rightsforresidents
How Frequently can you visit - the guidance states regularly (not defined) every 2/3 weeks is, incase anyone was wondering, not regularly. Once a week, when family would visit daily is not considered regularly. We need to see a dramatic change in this area #rightsforresdients
Where does your visit take place - this again threw up many different answers, as you can see below (how are window visits the second highest answer) #rightsforresidents
Finally the duration of the visit. No where in the guidance does it say how long/short a visit should be. 20/30 mins is totally unacceptable and for those with dementia it can be almost impossible to make the visit meaningful with such a restricted time limit #rightsforresidents
It has been 465 days (12th March 2020) since many Care homes locked their doors - that is 66 weeks or 11,160 hours during that time so much has happened, so many lost, and still so many denied the basic human right to family life #rightsforresidents
There have been 425 publications/guidance issued by the government for all care settings (including care at home/assisted living/chc) of those 188 relate directly to Care Homes and 19 to 'guidance' on visiting #rightsforresidents
According to @ONS between 20/3/2020 and 02/04/2021 (figures released 11/05/2021) 173,974 people have died in care homes in England and Wales. The vast majority of these, our loved ones, with minimal family contact, sometimes none #rightsforresidents
8th March this year saw a long awaited changed in guidance for all - but esp for those in Care Homes, the big change- #Essentialcaregiver was mentioned and one named visitor allowed indoors and to hold hands (everyone else could meet in groups of 6 outside) #rfr
Screens/pods still mentioned for outdoor visits for more than one person, but this time more homes did open up. There was testing, PPE, time restrictions and supervision - some things mentioned in the guidance, others not but made up by local authorities or care groups. #rfr
A week in which regulations relaxed and life started to get back to normal....
Unless you are in a care home
You can nominate 5 people to see (only two at a time) and if your care group provider allows this #rightsforresidents
We could go in a group of six inside a pub, shop, restaurant, cinema, museum - you cannot if you are in care home - you must stay outside and if you do go inside you have to isolate for 14 days - again this depends on if your care provider will let you go out #rightsforresidents
We can move home, always a traumatic&stressful experience. If you are in care home you can as well, but you have to isolate for 14 days. Imagine being dropped off somewhere strange¬ being able to leave your small room for 14 days - many with dementia wander #rightsforresidents
Happy Easter to all our followers, it is the second year that most of us are unable to be with our loved ones in care, but we are grateful to all the carers and nurses working this weekend #rfr
We still have a long way to go and must ensure that #essentialcaregiver is enshrined in law, so this barbaric locking away of all those in care, young and old, can never happen again #rfr
As an emotional week ends, we want to reflect on what has been & what still needs to be done. New 'guidance' came into affect on 8th March. We all knew it was coming, it arrived late on Thursday. Some care providers have embraced, many just ignored our campaign goes on#rfr
Rights for Residents response to the Government’s announcement - In our view the Government's announcement is a case of the emperor's new clothes.
The huge pressure from the media, MPs, charities & Campaign groups calling on the Government to end the isolation of care home residents has forced the Government to address the fact that thousands are giving up the will to live in a pandemic of loneliness.
However, the plan falls far short of what Rights For Residents and other campaigners are calling for.Unless the Government make visiting Guidance mandatory we expect many care homes will continue to lock relatives out.