Question reference: S5W-30079
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 19 June 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 July 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the guidelines are for visiting terminally-ill care home residents during the COVID-19 outbreak, and whether they have any flexibility to allow families to visit patients who are undergoing extended end of life care.
Answer
The National Clinical and Practice Guidance for Adult Care Homes in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic was first published on 13 March and recently updated on the 15 th May.
This guidance states that only essential visits should be permitted. Essential visits include visits by loved ones to care home residents receiving end of life care. The guidance sets out how visits to these residents should be supported by care homes and recommends that a risk assessment should be undertaken by the care home. However it is expected that care homes will balance any possible risks associated with the visit with the need to show compassion. The guidance also provides advice on how care homes may mitigate the risks of any such essential visits.
On the 25th June the Scottish Government announced a new four stage pathway for the easing of restrictions on visiting in care homes. The Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult care home visiting guidance, which was published on 25 June, notes that from the 3 rd of July, care homes that have been free of COVID-19 infections for at least 28 will be in a position, subject to the agreement of the local Health Protection and Care Home Clinical and Care Professional Oversight teams, to allow outdoor visits by a designated visitor to care home residents. This is in addition to essential visits including those for end of life.
Any further progression along the pathway will be dependent on when the scientific evidence indicates that is it safe to do so.