Carers Trust responds to new government guidance on visiting care homes
The government yesterday published new guidance for visiting care homes in England.
Responding to the new guidance, Carers Trust CEO, Gareth Howells, said:
“This new guidance is just the latest example in a long list of repeated government failures to recognise millions of unpaid family carers. When it comes to care homes, unpaid carers know the people they look after better than anyone. They know how their relative with dementia likes their food cut up so they don’t go hungry, and they know what music their disabled child likes to listen to so they don’t feel lonely. It’s essential therefore that unpaid carers are more able to visit the people they love, safely, in care homes. When family carers can’t do this, we know the health and wellbeing of disabled people, older people and carers themselves will continue to suffer.
“What’s more, few people understand better than unpaid carers how important it is to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus. Since the pandemic began carers have played an active role in ensuring that the person they care for is safe and protected.
“More testing would also help unpaid carers, residents and care providers alike to feel confident in managing these risks so families can spend more time together. We were disappointed not to see a stronger emphasis in the guidance for care providers involving unpaid carers as the expert partners in care that they are.
“None of us knows how long we’ll be living alongside this virus. But keeping families and unpaid carers apart can’t be the future for care homes.”
Ends
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Matt Whitticase on mwhitticase@carers.org and 07824 539481.
Carers Trust is a major charity for, with and about carers. We work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems. www.carers.org
We do this with a UK wide network of quality assured independent partners and through the provision of grants to help carers get the extra help they need to live their own lives. With locally based Network Partners we are able to support carers in their homes through the provision of replacement care, and in the community with information, advice, emotional support, hands on practical help and access to much needed breaks. We offer specialist services for carers of people of all ages and conditions and a range of individual tailored support and group activities.
Our vision is that unpaid carers count and can access the help they need to live their lives.