FAMILIES of people living in care homes may be left talking to loved ones through a window during lockdown following vague guidance from Government on visits. 

While visits to care homes can go ahead, the sites themselves are left to determine the best way to welcome visitors.

Official advice to keep care homes Covid-secure include having designated visitor pods with floor-to-ceiling screens and separate entrances, speaking through a window and outdoor meet-ups with one other person.

The Government has come under renewed criticism over the vagueness of the guidance, which comes as some care home residents have been isolated and unable to reach loved ones for months.

Meanwhile, some that have reopened to visitors have experienced Covid outbreaks. 

A “significant outbreak” in a Middlesbrough care home last month saw a total of 36 covid cases. A presentation to councillors revealed the stark scale of covid’s reach in the borough – with 49 cases spread between 34 care staff and 15 residents at 21 care homes.

Campaign groups and charities lamented the lack of detail from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which has so far only issued a brief press release outlining ways in which care homes can feel "empowered" to safely allow loved ones to visit residents.

Campaigners said it is "sad" that care home visitors will be "pathetically grateful" for a chat through a window.

Julia Jones, from dementia rights organisation John’s Campaign, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The problem is we haven’t actually got the guidance to comment on, all we’ve actually got is a press release, and here we are on the first morning of lockdown with a press release to look at.

“Very often it (government guidance) seems to make things more confusing and makes matters worse.”

She added: “I think it’s terribly, terribly sad that some people in this country will be pathetically grateful for the chance to go and look at the person they love through a window. I hesitate to call this a ‘visit’.”

The Alzheimer’s Society has called the screens “prison-style” and “frankly ridiculous”.

“It is one of a number of suggested means which could be used,” Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme when confronted with the criticism.

“The guidance will not be an exhaustive list of ‘you must do this’. For example, the idea about window visits, which can work for ground-floor residents, is in there too.

“I expect this guidance to be very much the beginning of a process where, with sensible ideas and local initiatives, we can come up with sensible ideas for seeing our loved ones.”

Asked about the idea of regularly testing a nominated family member to allow in-person visits, Mr Buckland said the Government is “interested in all ideas that are Covid-compliant” and that its own guidance is “non-exhaustive”.

As of today, November 5, so-called “ad-hoc” visits will not be allowed although care homes “will be encouraged and supported to provide safe visiting opportunities”, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

The National Care Forum (NCF) acknowledged the “sentiment” of the measures but said extra financial support and practical safety measures were also needed.

The group added that the measures, which come into force ahead of a bout of chilly weather predicted by the Met Office, would “literally leave people out in the cold”.

Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum, said: “It is very important that the secretary of state and the care minister have understood just how vital visiting is to the hundreds of thousands of people who live in care homes, and how heartbreaking it is to be separated from families and friends.

“In a time of national lockdown it is a positive step that the Government has not locked out visitors completely.

“However, warm words will not escape the fact that these arrangements, without urgent support, will leave many, literally, out in the cold."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Care homes should feel empowered by this new guidance to look at safe options to allow visits to care homes that suit their residents and facilities.

“We’ve seen some really innovative solutions used to help families see each other safely, face-to-face, which has been life-changing for some.

“It is vital high-quality, compassionate care and infection control remains at the heart of every single care home to protect staff and residents’ lives, but we must allow families to reunite in the safest way possible.”