Care Home Visits

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 6 October 2020.

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Photo of Delyth Jewell Delyth Jewell Plaid Cymru 2:24, 6 October 2020

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?