7. What discussions has the Welsh Government held with local authorities and other relevant partners about the suspension of care home visits? OQ55669

Llywydd, we meet local authorities and other partners, including the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, regularly to discuss a range of issues including care homes and care home visits.

I thank the First Minister for that answer. First Minister, the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, whom you just mentioned, has raised concerns about the impact that a blanket ban on visiting, in her words, could have on the health and well-being of care home residents. The need to prevent infections in care homes is of course of paramount importance, and I do appreciate that it's difficult to balance this against the emotional needs of residents. However, I fear that the trauma of prolonged separation from family members could have a devastating impact on people who rely on seeing members of their family. Visits could be facilitated through a combination of safety measures, including giving visiting families personal protective equipment and COVID safety training, allowing distanced outdoor visits where suitable, and confirming positive test results with second tests, so that 28-day care home lockdowns are only enforced when it's certain that they're necessary. So, First Minister, will you therefore consider the merits of issuing new guidance along these lines in order to resume some family visits?

Llywydd, the Member raises one of the most challenging issues that faces the care home sector, for all the reasons that she has set out: the harm that is done to residents when they are unable to see their relations, and balanced against that, as Delyth Jewell said, the need to prevent the introduction of coronavirus into homes, when we know from our experience earlier in the year that once it gets in there, there's a very vulnerable population, and the harm can be very considerable.

We do constantly update our guidance. The last guidance published on 28 August was followed up on 23 September with a letter from Albert Heaney, the head of social services here at the Welsh Government, and Gillian Baranski, the chief inspector of Care Inspectorate Wales, and again on 2 October, with further detail in a further update from Mr Heaney. Shall I, Llywydd, just briefly read the final paragraph of that letter, because it shows how we are trying to respond to the points that Delyth Jewell made? So, our advice to the sector, in the letter, says that the Welsh Government is keen to strike a balance between protecting people living in care homes from the very real risks posed by coronavirus and maintaining their well-being and contacts with family. It is important that we avoid an unnecessarily restrictive blanket approach and that visits to care homes are supported where safe and possible.

I will be meeting tomorrow, Llywydd, myself, with Care Forum Wales and a number of other bodies that are responsible for the way in which care homes are run. We will be discussing this matter along with other matters to do with the safe running of care homes during the coronavirus crisis, and the sorts of possibility that Delyth Jewell mentioned in her supplementary question will, I'm sure, form part of that discussion.