Dear family member or friend,

We have been informed that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will shortly publish data by registered location on the number of lives lost to COVID-19 across English care homes. The information is likely to be made public and covered by the national and local media around 21 July.

Too many lives have been cut short before their time by this deadly virus. Behind each number in this data is an individual who is loved and greatly missed by family and friends. Their loss is also felt tremendously by those who have cared for and supported them, sometimes for many years.

Whilst we support transparency of information, we also believe that context is essential to allow the figures to be properly understood and for the full story to be told. We are available to offer you support at this time, should the publication of this information, or subsequent media coverage reignite your grief, or should you have questions about COVID-19 in OSJCT care homes which we can answer.

We believe the published data will provide detail on geographical location and spread, the size of the care home, the home operator, and the quality of the care home. What we can be certain of is that this virus has hit hard against all types of operators, whether public, private, or charitable.

The numbers of deaths across the care sector tell part of the story but they certainly do not recount the amazing professionalism, sacrifice and dedication of frontline nursing and care teams who daily put themselves at risk to protect some of our most vulnerable in society.

It is our hope that the use of this data by the media will be sensitive, respectful, and considerate of all those grieving. We would like to extend our condolences to you and your family and remind you that we are here should you wish to discuss this further. We encourage you to contact your home manager in the first instance, alternatively you can request a call by emailing info@osjct.co.uk.

With best wishes,

Dan Hayes

As you may be aware, on Monday, the Prime Minister confirmed that the relaxation of most COVID-19 restrictions will go ahead on 19 July. He also announced that residents would no longer have to limit themselves to five named visitors from that date.

The government has also confirmed that current infection control measures will continue to operate in many health and social care settings. This means that the wearing of PPE, demonstrating evidence of negative COVID-19 tests results, and managing visits to designated visiting locations within care homes through pre-booked visits will continue within OSJCT homes.

As always, we recognise the emotional, physical, and social benefits for our residents of contact with their loved ones, but we must balance this against the risk of virus transmission, especially at this time of rising infection rates.

Relaxing restrictions is welcome news for us all, but we are mindful to introduce these changes safely and fairly for all our residents and families.

Visitor Charter

The vast majority of the visiting experiences have been welcomed and supportive to our residents, employees, and family members however we have had a small minority of cases where our employees have not been treated with the respect they deserve especially at such a busy and challenging time.

We would like to politely remind all visitors of the importance to treat our employees and others with respect when visiting our homes/sites. We all work for the same outcome: the safety and good health of our residents and your loved ones.

All residents, employees and visitors have the right to be treated with respect and to feel safe and we have therefore introduced a Visitor Charter which can be found here.

Last week the Government announced plans to remove the need for new and returning residents moving from the community to self-isolate for 14 days as part of their admissions process.

Guidance was finally clarified on 24 June, after it had been first released to care homes late on Friday 18 June.

Our teams have now reviewed the full guidance and updated our protocols so that care homes can implement these new procedures for residents moving into an OSJCT home.

From today, new or returning residents, from the community can move into an OSJCT care home without a period of isolation as long as they complete an enhanced testing regime consisting of a minimum of 10 COVID-19 tests (a mix of LFD and PRC) as an essential infection control measure.

At OSJCT, we also offer new and returning residents from the community, the choice to self-isolate for fourteen days and receive in-room care before mixing with other residents. This may be preferable to some, as it will reduce the number of COVID-19 tests required.   

Those moving into an OSJCT care home from a health and social care setting will still be required to receive an initial 14 days of in-room care on moving into a home.

For any other questions about moving into an OSJCT care home, please visit our admissions page or call our Customer Services team on 0800 988 8133, or fill in an enquiry form.

The Government has released guidance to support further the easing of restrictions for care home residents, as announced in this press release.

Residents are now able to visit friends and family members out of their care home and stay overnight with them, subject to a risk assessment, without having to self-isolate on their return. This new measure is designed to make it easier for residents to spend more time with friends and family members.

All out of care home visits must be risk assessed. Visits deemed high-risk and overnight stays in a hospital will still result in the resident receiving 14 days of in-room care and support on their return to their care home.

Relaxing restrictions is welcome news for us all, but we are mindful to introduce these changes safely and fairly for all our residents and families. These changes to allow more visits create extra administration and responsibilities for our care homes. Please be patient with our teams in our care homes as they help to organise for visits to go ahead.

As you are aware the Prime Minister announced further easing of restrictions for care homes in his broadcast last Monday, accompanied by this press release. Residents are now able to have more named visitors, who can meet their loved ones to hold hands without socially distancing. In addition, the period of visiting restrictions due to an outbreak will now only be 14 days from the last positive test in most cases (subject to variant), and more outside visits can take place without the need for ‘in-room care’ following those visits.

Increasing the numbers of named visitors

Residents can now nominate additional named visitors, up to a total of five. These include their current named visitors, and, for those who have one, an essential care giver.

There will continue to be a limit to the number of visits a care home can have at any one time. Each resident will be able to see a maximum of two visitors per day, either together or separately, and subject to the home’s capacity to manage visits. Exceptions to this limit may apply, such as end of life and essential care giver visits.

Visits out of care homes

Residents will be supported to leave the care home for visits and low risk activities, without the need to isolate for 14 days on return.

Low risk activities include:

• Spending time outdoors but not in large groups
• Outdoor exercise whilst socially distancing from others
• Taking part in education or training
• Medical appointments
• Attending a day centre

(Updated as 25 June. Overnight stays with friends and family members, subject to a risk assessments, can now take place without the resident having to isolate on their return. However residents staying overnight in a hospital or high risk setting will still need to receive in room care for 14 days on return to the care home.)

Each visit out of the care home will require an individual risk assessment.

Thank you for your patience. Relaxing restrictions is welcome news for us all, but we are mindful to introduce these changes safely and fairly for all our residents and families.

We are pleased that visiting is taking place in the vast majority of our care homes, and that our residents are able to spend valuable time with their relatives, either through contact or non-contact visits, and all adhering to strict infection control protocols to keep us all safe.

The increased availability of rapid Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests and the low levels of COVID-19 transmission in the community mean we can now offer visitors the option to administer their own testing in their own home, prior to a visit in one of our care homes.

LFD tests must be carried out on the day of the visit, close to the visit time, and users must show evidence of a negative test to the care home on their arrival.

Named Visitors, who can hold hands with a loved one during a visit, and Essential Care Givers, must use LFD tests which will be provided by their care home later this month. Test results must be reported to https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result along with the care home’s Unique Organisation Number (which will be supplied to you by your care home). Other visitors undertaking non-contact visits can order and use test kits from https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests.

Evidence of a negative LFD test can be an email, which you receive after reporting your test results online, a confirmatory text from NHS Test and Trace, or a date stamped photograph of the test cartridge using smart phone.

For visitors who are unable to carry out LFD tests or are not confident in using them, please contact your care home in advance of your visit to request a test on arrival, and at least 45 minutes prior to visiting your loved one.

If your test is inconclusive you must carry out another test, and if it is positive you must organise a PCR test at a testing site, or via post and self-isolate in accordance with national guidance.

Please remember:

• All adults and children over the age of 11 must take a LFD test prior to their visit to a care home, ideally within two hours of the visit time
• Visitors must provide evidence of a negative test
• Visitors can pre-arrange for their care home to carry out the test on arrival at the care home
• Home managers retain the discretion as to whether to accept visitors who have self-tested at home and may require an additional care home supervised LFD test.

We appreciate your support and cooperation in undertaking these tests to enable visits in our care homes and minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Thank you all for your patience and your support.

As lockdown ends in the UK, we are delighted to be able to adapt our processes in line with confidence brought about by the reduction in transmission levels and the success of the vaccines.

New residents, and those returning to us for respite care, are still required to undergo 14 days of isolation prior to joining the care home community, in order to ensure that COVID-19 is not inadvertently brought into our homes. However, in line with Government guidance, for residents coming from their own home, seven of those days can now be spent in their home.

For new residents coming from a health or social care setting, such as another care home, or hospital, the full 14 days will take place in the care home with in room support provided by OSJCT colleagues.

Residents who can isolate in their own homes, will need to avoid having visitors during the seven days, maintain two metres social distance from any essential visitors, and ensure that any carers who visit wear full PPE during their visit. We will provide full details about what is required to comply with national guidance.

On arrival at one of our care homes new residents, or those returning to us for respite care, will be supported in their rooms for the first seven days, before being introduced to their immediate social bubble and able to join in with activities and communal meals in their household.

This new admissions process is in addition to new measures that we announced last month, which include being able to meet the manager face-to-face prior to moving in, the ability to view a ground floor bedroom and having a family member visit a new resident on moving-in day.

OSJCT Chief Executive, Dan Hayes, said: “We are aware that this can be an anxious time for people moving into a care home for the first time.

“I know that my colleagues in our homes across the country give a warm welcome and the highest standard of care.

“We are pleased that these changes will also allow greater first-hand support from family members and look forward to welcoming you into our homes.”

Come and live with us

Hundreds of new residents have become part of the OSJCT community in the past year by moving into one of our homes. We are delighted by the positive feedback we have had regarding their welcome, their confidence in our processes during the pandemic, and how quickly they have settled into their new home.

Full details are available on our Admissions page.

Government guidance about visits out of care homes has been updated as of 4 May. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arrangements-for-visiting-out-of-the-care-home/visits-out-of-care-homes-supplementary-guidance.

The guidance allows a care home resident to undertake a trip to an outside location, such as a park, or a family member’s garden, without having to isolate in their rooms on return to the care home. Visits are subject to arrangements being discussed with each resident’s named visitor/s or essential care giver.

During an outdoor visit, residents should ideally be accompanied, this can be by a care home employee, one of their named visitors, or their essential care giver. The resident and their companion, and any relatives or friends who they visit, must have a negative result from a LFD test before the visit, be free of COVID-19 symptoms, and feel well.

The resident and those they are visiting are advised to maintain social distances, wash hands regularly and wear a face mask. Residents must not go inside; except to use a toilet (preferably not a public toilet) or to vote on 6 May. Residents who visit a polling station to vote should be accompanied by a care home employee to help facilitate a safe visit.

Medical appointments, which take place in a controlled indoor environment such as a hospital outpatient clinic, or dentist and are essential for the health and wellbeing of our residents, may also take place without the need for isolation on return to the care home, with the completion and authorisation of an individual risk assessment.

Visits which do not meet the above criteria, or cannot be safely facilitated after a risk assessment, will result in the resident undertaking a 14-day isolation period, with full in-room support, on return to the care home, as per the care home visiting guidance. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/arrangements-for-visiting-out-of-the-care-home/visits-out-of-care-homes

Outdoor visits and trips will be suspended if the care home is affected by a COVID-19 outbreak, although a medical appointment may be an exception in this case. 

Come and live with us

Hundreds of new residents have become part of the OSJCT community in the past year by moving into one of our homes. We are delighted by the positive feedback we have had regarding their welcome, their confidence in our processes during the pandemic, and how quickly they have settled into their new home.

We are now pleased to announce updated processes for potential new residents that have been enabled by the Government guidelines which were introduced in mid-April.

Full details are available on our Admissions page.

Meeting the manager and looking round

Our virtual tours have had a great response, but we recognise that a face-to-face meeting and a first-hand look at a home gives much peace of mind. One family member or friend will be able to attend the home accompanied by the resident if they are able to make the visit. They will be able to meet the Home Manager in the garden or specific visitor room and will be able to view a ground-floor bedroom where available.

In order to make this happen, we will need to confirm that no visitor has viewed other care homes on that day, that they are showing no symptoms of COVID-19, and that they return a negative lateral flow test on the day of the visit. The test will be provided by the home and we ask that the visitors attend 45 minutes before their appointment to allow the result to be processed.

Moving-in day

On the day of moving in, the new resident will be able to have one named visitor support them throughout the day and come into the resident’s bedroom in order to help them settle. A negative lateral flow test will also be required for the visitor.

Visiting for new residents

Current Government guidance outlines that new residents must have a 14-day period of ‘in-room care’ in which they are isolated from other residents. During this time one named visitor will be able to make one visit to the new resident in their room.

This new process applies to all new permanent residents during their first fortnight in an OSJCT home and respite residents staying for 14 days or more.

UPDATE: Detailed guidance was published on the evening of 6 April and our team is now working to implement changes.

We welcome plans for new guidance announced by the Government this weekend.

Headlines from the press release, which will come into place from Monday 12 April, were:

• Care home residents to be allowed a second regular visitor indoors to reunite families and friends
• Babies and toddlers will also be able to accompany visitors, allowing grandparents to meet grandchildren
• Visitors can hold hands, with tests required before entry and PPE 

Our intention is to reunite families as soon as we are able to safely do so. However, there are challenges that accompany this, and we thought it useful to highlight what those challenges are.

Firstly, the announcement was made shortly after midnight on a Saturday morning during the Easter weekend which reduced the time available to be able to respond.

Secondly, the announcement does not contain the guidance itself and we, and all social care providers, need that detail to be able to put safe and detailed protocols in place.

Questions that we do not currently know the answer to include:

1. When will the guidance will be published in full?
2. What age limit will there be for children visiting?
3. Will the two named visitors visit together or separately?
4. What additional provisions will be put in for testing of potential visitors?

We are urgently trying to get answers to those questions.

In the meantime, as we are keen to reunite our residents with their families, we are taking bookings for visits for a second named visitor who will be able to have a ‘contact visit’ with one of our residents. This will be on a one-to-one basis and babies aged 12 months and under will also be able to attend the visit.

Home managers will accept bookings to ensure that each resident has an equal and fair access to visits from family and friends.

We hope that the full guidance will be published soon and will update again by 12 April.