Changes to visiting and testing in our care homes
Further to updates from the Scottish Government on COVID-related guidelines in care homes, we wanted to update you on what this will mean for you and your loved ones.
Balhousie Care Group’s own guidelines are mirroring these latest government updates, which come into force from March 31. They require that:
- Visitors to care homes have done their own LFT test or do one at the care home;
- Visitors wear a mask in communal areas of the care home, although they have the choice to not wear a mask while visiting their loved one’s bedroom;
- Visitors maintain 2m social distancing in communal areas of the care home, although they can choose to not socially distance in their loved one’s bedroom;
- The resident can now nominate up to three visitors during a COVID outbreak, with one named visitor visiting per day;
- When residents return from an outing, they no longer have to do an LFT test.
Under the new guidelines, our staff will continue to perform LFT tests twice a week and PCR tests once a week. The guidelines will be live at this link from March 31.
Please note that decisions on closures of care homes after a COVID outbreak are still in the hands of public health authorities. We appreciate the disruption and frustration this has caused for relatives, and we sincerely hope there will be movement towards lifting these restrictions in the near future.
We hope you will agree that further lifting of care home restrictions is most welcome. In the meantime, we fully appreciate your patience as we continue to navigate both changing rules and pressures on staff resourcing. It is hard to believe it has been two years since the first lockdown. We continue to be in awe of our hardworking staff, who show exceptional dedication during trying times.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Home Manager.
Yours sincerely
Sheilah Harvey
Head of Operations
