Following on from the ease of lockdown restrictions in Scotland last week, we would like to highlight that this guidance has not changed for care homes. Care homes should still be restricting access to allow only essential visits and visits for residents who are in the palliative and end of life stage.
Restricting visitations not only decreases the risk of virus transmission but may also relieve some of the media scrutiny that a number of care home providers are experiencing . We have heard of instances where journalists have picked up on care homes not following social distancing through photos uploaded on social media. Therefore, we would also like to urge that social distancing is evident in any public sharing of images or videos.
Further guidance on care home visiting is currently being developed, we will keep you informed and updated once this guidance has been published.