Matt Hancock has announced new proposals to allow people to be with relatives in care homes who are gravely ill with coronavirus before they die, so that they can fulfil their “right to say goodbye”.
But the care sector responded with caution to the promise, saying that far more PPE (personal protective equipment) than is currently available would be needed to make the health secretary’s pledge possible.
Revised guidance for the care home sector, published on Wednesday, says that while homes should limit unnecessary visits, “we are clear that visits at the end of life are important both for the individual and their loved ones and should continue”.
The initiative follows a long series of reports about care homes going into effective lockdown, with relatives forced to say goodbye to loved ones through windows, by phone, or by letters read out by a care worker in protective clothing.
