Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that residents in care homes in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England can be visited safely and regularly by family members.
We expect providers to facilitate visits wherever possible. To ensure both care home staff and residents are protected from COVID-19 infection, care homes should ask visitors to take steps such as booking appointments, taking a test on the day of their visit, wearing a mask in communal areas and washing their hands thoroughly on arrival.
There may be some local variation as local health protection teams and providers assess the risk to care home residents due to the prevalence of COVID-19 in their area. However, we have been clear that essential care givers should be allowed to visit in almost all circumstances. We are keeping this guidance under review.