Indoor visits to care homes in Monklands and across the NHS Lanarkshire area remain suspended despite yesterday’s announcement of potential rule relaxations by the health secretary.
Public health director Gabe Docherty reiterated that “the local prevalence of Covid-19 is such that we are not able to reintroduce indoor visiting at this time”; while outdoor visits remain restricted to a maximum of three people from no more than two households.
Officials note that the situation remains under constant review and that essential visits “for end-of-life care or to support a resident at times of distress” can continue, and say that plans are in place to allow indoor visiting to be reintroduced once this is deemed safe.
NHS Lanarkshire public health director Gabe Docherty told the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser: “Unfortunately, local prevalence of Covid-19 is such that we are not able to reintroduce indoor visiting in Lanarkshire care homes at this time.
“To do so would substantially increase the risk of Covid-19 spreading to our most vulnerable residents, which could – and most likely would – have catastrophic consequences. That is a risk I simply cannot accept.
“Families and residents have my full sympathy as I know how challenging the current restrictions are to live with, and these are not decisions that are taken lightly.
“They should be absolutely assured that we will continue to assess the situation closely and frequently with colleagues, looking to robust local and national data.
“I am keen that indoor visiting is reinstated as soon as there is evidence that it is safe to do so – indeed, we have plans in place so that when the prevalence of the virus decreases to a level that is acceptable, we can reintroduce indoor visiting quickly and, crucially, safely.”
Health secretary Jeane Freeman announced on Monday that extended lengths and types of visits to care homes could be introduced “when local conditions are judged to be safe” – but the changes do not yet apply to Lanarkshire or the other west of Scotland authorities where additional local restrictions area in place.
She wrote in a letter to care home managers and health boards that in the affected areas “visiting is restricted to outdoor and essential visits only; local restrictions should be followed where they are advised for clinical reasons by incident management teams”.
