Care home residents will be allowed one regular indoor visitor from 8th March, as part of the Prime Minister’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions.

The plans will allow one single named visitor to hold hands indoors with their relative or contact in a care home, and make repeat visits under carefully designed conditions to keep residents, staff and visitors safe.

Every resident will have the opportunity to name one individual, who will be required to have a test beforehand, wear PPE during the visit and avoid close contact.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “I know how important visiting a loved one is and I’m pleased we will soon be in a position for people to be carefully and safely reunited with loved ones who live in care homes.

“This is just the first step to getting back to where we want to be. We need to make sure we keep the infection rate down, to allow greater visiting in a step-by-step way in the future.”

Outdoor, pod and screen visits will be able to continue in line with the published guidance which has been in place during lockdown, meaning there will be chances for residents to see more than just the one person they nominate.

The clinically-led approach has been designed in partnership with the Deputy Chief Medical Officers and Public Health England and is the next step towards regular indoor visits resuming. 

All visitors will receive a lateral flow test and be required to follow all infection prevention and control measures.

Close-contact care will be restricted to visitors who provide assistance - such as help dressing, eating or washing - which is essential to the immediate health and wellbeing of a resident. Existing guidance already enables these visits under exceptional circumstances.