The number of visitors a resident can have is now unlimited, subject to the home's capacity to manage visits safely and fairly. If a home goes into outbreak only one person can visit a resident at a time. 

Visits can take place in a variety of locations in the homes. Face masks must be worn if the home goes into an outbreak, these will be provided at the PPE station by the front door. Visitors can hold hands with their loved ones, without wearing gloves but must wash their hands regularly. 

Selected visitors may give personal care to their loved one, and support them with tasks such as eating, and may be able to spend time in their bedrooms. They must comply with the Visitor's Agreement for those giving personal care.

Please liaise with your home about visiting arrangements, as some homes ask visitors to book in advance.

All visitors must confirm that they are fit and well before entering a care home. 

Please be aware that any visitor who appears to be unwell, such as displaying respiratory infection symptoms, may be refused entry to an OSJCT care home. If you are asked to leave, please respect this decision by the care home management who make these decisions in the best interests of our vulnerable residents, and to protect our hard-working employees.

During an outbreak, those who enter the care home may include essential visitors. These are visitors who contributes to the safety of the care home residents and employees, such as health professionals, Local Authority social workers, people working for government bodies that support the work of Public Health and key suppliers. Every visitor is required to follow our strict protocols.

If a resident tests positive for Covid-19 we are supporting them with between 5 and 10 days (depending on their recovery time) of in-room care whilst wearing the required PPE. We will closely monitor the resident and update their family.

As is usual, we will contact the resident’s GP in such cases, and follow national guidance to inform the NHS and notify Public Health England, when the home has two or more cases.

If an individual’s health deteriorates, we will notify NHS111 or Public Health England in accordance with the guidance, and we will contact the GP and paramedics as required and follow their advice along with the preferences in an individual’s care and life plans.

At all of the above stages, we will contact the next of kin/assigned contact of the resident who is either symptomatic or confirmed as having the virus.

We have additional protocols in place to support those individuals who lack capacity and the Trust has its own team of Admiral Nurses who specialise in providing expert emotional support to families of residents living with dementia. If you feel you would benefit from speaking to one of the Admiral Nurses, please contact the Home Manager who can put you in touch with them.

Government guidance requires any new resident coming to the home from a hospital to have a Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test 48 hours before coming into the home. If they test positive to Covid-19 they will be supported with between 5 and 10 days of in-room care and prior to joining the care home community. These measures are to ensure that Covid-19 is not inadvertently brought into our homes.  

Residents coming from the community do not need to have a Covid-19 test.

We have developed strict protocols for those working in our homes. These cover things such as coming to work, managing their own health and wellbeing, uniform, infection control, equipment and supplies and of course how to keep your loved ones happy and engaged.

Our protocols are reviewed regularly and are updated when Government guidance changes. 

Guidance on testing within adult social care can be found here. The testing includes:

• Symptomatic residents during an outbreak (up to five in any home at any one time)
• A patient or resident discharged from hospitals before going into care homes
• Social care staff who are eligible for Covid-19 treatments

We are committed to providing the highest quality of care for our residents. This is especially important right now.

We are actively recruiting and are keen to welcome applicants from other industries such as retail, travel and hospitality as well as those who have experience of care. To find out more visit our Careers page

Our volunteers contribute so much to the daily life of our residents. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, then visit our volunteers page to find out more and apply

Homes may be given ‘outbreak’ status, in consultation with the local Health Protection Team (HPT) when cases of flu, norovirus, chest infections, Covid-19 or other transmissible infections are confirmed in the home.

During the outbreak, visiting by family and friends will be restricted to just one visitor per resident, to be booked in advance with the care home. Visits may be restricted to a resident’s bedroom, the home’s screened visiting room or garden visiting pods.

Residents are no longer routinely tested for Covid-19, unless they show symptoms of a transmissible illness, or the home goes into outbreak. In these instances, they will be tested with an LFD test to rule out Covid-19.