London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

Families question isolation rule for visits out of English care homes

Families question isolation rule for visits out of English care homes

Anyone making visits out of home faces having to isolate in their room for two weeks
Relatives of care home residents are demanding the government drops a requirement that anyone making visits out of the home must isolate in their room for two weeks afterwards.

Relatives will be able to take loved ones on trips outside but guidance published on Wednesday, to take effect from 12 April, states that even as vaccine coverage increases, visits out of homes risk reseeding Covid-19 infection, and so quarantine for 14 days will be required.

The Rights for Residents group has questioned whether the requirement is fair, and Julia Jones, a founder of John’s Campaign for better visiting rights, said it was illogical. “Care staff come in and out every day with no restriction on their community interactions,” she said.

Leigh Day, a law firm advising John’s Campaign, said it would “continue to press the Department of Health and Social Care to remove this element”. It appears likely to undermine the government’s decision to extend visits out to people aged over 65, after restrictions preventing them all together were dropped from the guidance issued in March.

John’s Campaign launched a legal challenge last week over the age limit, claiming that a blanket ban regardless of the health of the individual was discriminatory and unlawful.

The DHSC guidance acknowledges that the isolation rule “is likely to mean that many residents will not wish to make a visit out of the home”, which Jones described as “callous”. But the government said spending time with others outside the care home “will increase the risk of exposure to Covid-19 for the resident and potentially to other vulnerable residents on their return”.

It said: “Whereas it is possible to mitigate and manage infection risks within the controlled environment of the care home – including by testing anyone coming into the home – it is simply not possible to control the environment outside of the care home in the same way.”

At least one dose of vaccine has been given to 94% of residents of older adult care homes and 79% of staff, according to figures from NHS England published on Thursday.

One resident’s son, named as Michael in a statement released by Leigh Day, said he was “at my wits’ end with these outrageous deprivations of liberty”. He said his whole family has been vaccinated and every resident in his mother’s care home had had two vaccinations.

“I asked my mother what she wanted for Christmas and she said she didn’t want anything but to come to visit me and my family,” he said.

Two parents said their 30-year-old son who has autism and lives in a home could no longer make regular outings as part of his care plan. They said they were unable to visit him because of the distress it caused him when he did not understand why he could not leave with them.

The mother said her son “would never be able to do 14 days isolation. He says: ‘I am being good, Mum, but when am I coming home?’ We desperately miss him and feel as parents that all of our rights and [his] rights have been taken away. It’s like we don’t have any.”

A DHSC spokesperson said: “As part of the roadmap out of lockdown, we have updated guidance for care homes to support residents to enjoy out-of-care-home visits in the safest way possible, while also providing more opportunities for visits to take place in care homes. When the data shows it is safe, the government wants to go even further and allow more visits to take place.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×