PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Dementia: Care Homes (14 October 2020)

We appreciate the particular challenges visiting restrictions pose for people with dementia and their loved ones.

On 15 October we published updated visiting guidance for care homes. Care homes can develop a policy for limited visits, following the advice set out in this guidance. This should be on the basis of a dynamic risk assessment which takes into account circumstances and needs of the individual care setting including both residents and staff, and the external COVID-19 environment including local COVID alert levels. This should include an assessment of whether residents’ needs make them particularly clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 and if they make visits particularly important. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on-policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

This guidance will be updated as the risk posed by COVID-19 continues to change.