AQW 20605/17-22


Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast


Tabled Date: 18/06/2021
Answered On Date: 29/06/2021
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to outline the reasoning behind the differential in visiting arrangements in hospitals versus visiting arrangements in care homes.


Answer:
Following the publication of the NI Executive’s plan to manage a return to a more normal life as the pandemic eases, my Department instigated a review of the restrictions applicable to visiting in all care settings here.
The resulting updated guidance for visiting came into effect in all care settings in Northern Ireland, including hospitals, hospices and care homes, from Friday, 7 May 2021. Within this guidance many distinctions are made between the various settings to which visiting may be appropriate, reflecting the specific circumstances applicable in each.
There are particular challenges which care homes have faced in trying to protect residents from outbreaks of infection in individual care homes, while trying to ensure they can maintain contact with loved ones. It is particularly important to note that whereas hospital admissions are normally temporary, with most lasting fewer than 5 days, residents live in their care homes on a long term basis, so any visiting restrictions must reflect this, carefully promoting the residents’ health and wellbeing.
My Department commissioned the Public Health Agency (PHA) to work with a range of stakeholders to develop a new approach to supporting a safe increase to visiting in care homes.
A working group was assembled, including representatives from across the care home sector. The resulting Pathway was produced to reflect the group’s recommendations, and includes arrangements for residents to receive visitors, as well as permitting them to leave the home to visit other households, community facilities and excursions.
Officials in my Department also reviewed arrangements for visiting in all other healthcare settings, primarily Hospitals/Hospices, consulting closely with stakeholders including all five HSC Trusts, PHA, RQIA, PCC, and the Hospice sector. Using the evidence/recommendations available from other parts of the UK, and identifying the key points of concern raised in person and in correspondence since access restrictions were introduced, the resulting guidance again reflects the key issues facing all such settings in facilitating the visiting arrangements so crucial to patients and their families.
Outstanding progress has been made to date across all settings, but we need to remain vigilant and maintain the cautious approach that has brought us so far.