Coronavirus
Please find our Covid-19 visitors Policies here:
Our Coronavirus Policy is here:HS15-Coronavirus Policy and Procedure – Updated 13th January 2022
Our Visitors Policy is here:CC126-Re-Opening to Visitors During COVID-19 Policy and Procedure – Updated 2nd February 2022
Outside Visits Policy is here:CC180-Visiting Out of Care Homes Policy and Procedure – Updated 2nd February 2022
For our Covid-19 update archives, please Click here
Our latest COVID-19 UPDATE:
March 2022 – Update
Please see below an update on the COVID-19 Guidance For Visitors & Residents:
• Staff are continuing to carry out lateral flow tests before arriving for each shift but are no longer required to do PRC tests weekly.
• Relatives will continue to carry out lateral flow tests and log them before visiting. Please see details in our February 2022 update, below.
• Friends and relatives will continue to carry out a lateral flow test before taking residents out. Residents will be permitted to enter cafes, restaurants, shops etc. but must wear a mask unless they are eating. Please see details in our February 2022 update, below about testing for relatives who accompany residents on trips out.
• If residents want to go out and visit a café indoors, for example, the person accompanying them will still need to provide proof of their lateral flow test. After an indoor visit the resident will be required to take a lateral flow test on days 1,3 and 5.
• Visitors will continue to wear PPE, disposable face mask, gloves and apron when visiting and when hugging may occur.
• Unfortunately, we are still not able to offer drinks as it requires the removal of face masks. This will be reviewed in April when we are expecting new guidelines.
• We will continue to check residents’ temperatures daily.
• Visitors are asked to conduct visits in residents’ rooms only. There may be extenuating circumstances where the use of communal areas is permitted such as meetings and end of life care.
• Visitors testing positive will not be permitted into Winash.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you again for your continued support.
February 2022 – Update
Residents are now allowed to have unlimited ‘in person’ visits.
We will keep to 2 Visitors per Resident allowed inside per day, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
All Visitors whether inside or outside (except those visiting over the wall in the back garden) will be asked to complete an LFD rapid Covid test before seeing Residents. The LFD test must be logged on https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result. When logging your result, in the section ‘Tell us why you took this test’ please put ‘A community organisation provided the test and a Community number’ (our number is 10090843). Please forward your confirmation email to heather@winash.co.uk and show evidence of this to staff on your arrival. Alternatively, you can show the text confirmation.
All visitors will be asked to wash their hands or use antibacterial gel before donning gloves and before they leave.
INSIDE VISITORS
If visiting inside, Visitors will be asked to wear gloves, masks & an apron. Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer food or drinks inside because this would mean taking your masks off.
OUTSIDE VISITORS – FRONT GARDEN
More than 3 visitors in the garden will need to be checked by the Manager / Deputy when the visit is booked in. The reason for this is to keep Visitors separate from other Residents.
We can offer drinks & cake if you are visiting outside in the garden. This needs to be pre booked by Visitors or Residents before the visit so we can note this in the diary.
Garden visits can still be booked into the diary manually, but we need to avoid the arrival time of visitors having their LFD (rapid test) done at Winash in the Lodge. The booking slots for the Lodge are 10.00am, 11.00am, 2.00pm and 3.00pm, please contact Winash on 01275 873129 Monday to Friday if you don’t know how to use the Koalander booking system.
GOING OUT / VISITS OUT
Due to Covid 19 numbers still being high North Somerset we are requiring that sensible precautions are taken when visiting outside of Winash / visiting families. Visits out do need to be booked so we can ensure we have sufficient wheelchairs if they are needed and a risk assessment needs to be completed in advance of the outing.
Transporting out in a car – Residents will need to sit in the back of the car with windows open and the driver will need to wear a mask throughout the journey.
Residents are allowed to visit inside a relative’s home and only enter that family members house. The Resident would need to wash their hands after using the facilities and use antibacterial hand gel which we will give to you prior to leaving Winash.
We will issue you with gloves, mask & apron just in case they are needed to provide any physical support whilst Residents are out.
Everyone present at the home where the resident is visiting should complete an LFD test to keep Residents safe. Visits should not go ahead if a member of the household tests positive. Please log the LFD test result on the Government portal and email the result to: info@winash.co.uk
We are advising that Residents are not to visit cafes / restaurants / pubs just yet. You can take a flask of a hot drink to have when out, and during hot weather, we would advise you to visit parks ie Herbert Gardens rather than the seafront due to the large crowds at the sea front when the weather is hot.
VISITORS FROM ABROAD
Visitors coming to the UK from abroad will need to follow the Government rules on testing and quarantining.
Winash will also require a UK PCR test to be completed and a negative result received before any visits can take place. Daily LFD testing will also be required to reduce the risk of transmission to residents.
We will keep this procedure in place and review every two weeks or sooner should Covid cases increase / decrease or the receipt of any Government guidance. We are aware new guidance is due to be published sometime after 31st January 2022 and we will send a further update if there are any changes.
Thank you again for your continued support.
Update: 5th January 2o22
Unfortunately, we are currently closed to visitors. If you are a relative of one of our residents, please call the Home for further details. We are doing everything we can to keep our residents connected with their loved-ones.
Ways in which we are keeping communication open are:
- telephone calls
- video calls
- newsletters
- weekly activity timetable (posted on the website every Friday)
- emails, letters, cards or photographs
If you would like to arrange a video call with your friend or family member call us on 01275 873 129.
We will continue to update relatives by email as and when the visiting restrictions change.
Update: 17th December 2021
We have been reliably informed that COVID cases are increasing in the Clevedon area and there are already cases in some care homes locally (not us, touch wood)
As such, we wanted to let you know that all residents who are going out to families over Christmas, will be asked to stay in their rooms for 7 days after they have been out. They will then have a PCR on Day 2 and daily LFD testing. We are concerned that the risk of contracting the new variant is on the increase, but we still want to ensure Residents spend time with their loved ones over Christmas.
For full details about residents going out for visits over the Christmas period, please click here: OUTSIDE VISITS OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD 2021
If you have not yet had your booster, we strongly recommend that you get it as soon as possible as we have been informed by the local surgery that the only thing that is protecting care home residents is the booster vaccine. There are some walk-in clinics running in Portishead over the weekend:
Saturday 18th December: 09.00- 18.00 (Harbourside Family Practice, Portishead) 18+ Moderna
Sunday 19th December: 09.00- 18.00 (Harbourside Family Practice, Portishead) 18+ Moderna
Harbourside Family Practice, Marina Healthcare Centre, 2 Haven View, Portishead, Bristol BS20 7QA
Or you can find them using this link: www.grabajab.net
As you are aware visiting guidance for care homes was amended with effect from 14th December 2021. The main points that affect us are:
- Only 3 nominated visitors allowed per resident.
- You must have a negative LFD on the day you visit.
- Should you wish to be considered to be an ‘Essential Care Giver’ then you would need to do a PCR once a week and LFD’s 3 times per week. Government guidance recognises that residents can have support and companionship from a relative/friend even when a care home is in lockdown or during periods of isolation. Essential Caregivers may provide companionship or emotional support, carry out personal care tasks with the resident – such as support to eat – or it may be that their presence during care tasks carried out by staff is beneficial to the resident’s wellbeing (for example by helping to relieve distress). Closer engagement/interaction and touch can be vital to ensure wellbeing. When providing direct personal care, Essential Caregivers will be subject to the same testing regime, PPE arrangements and infection prevention and control (IPC) measures as staff.
- An Essential Care Giver would be in addition to the 3 nominated visitors.
We would politely ask that all visitors book their visits in as we may have to limit the number of visits per day if the COVID situation get worse.
In addition to email/text confirmation of a negative LFD, we are now also able to accept proof in the form of a date-stamped photo of the cartridge. Please do not bring the actual cartridge in with you due to infection control concerns.
Please do not come to visit if you have any signs / symptoms of any infectious diseases including colds, flu, norovirus etc.
The fully updated guidance is now available to read on the government website using the following link: Guidance on care home visiting – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Update: December 2021
Following Government guidance, you can now book visits with your loved ones within the home. Please call 01275 873 129 to book. You will be required to show a negative LFD test result from a test done on the day of the visit. Staff will need to see a copy of the text or email showing the result. We will also take your temperature and ask if you have any Coronavirus symptoms.
Our unique identifier number for recording your result is: 10090843
The link to the Government website to register LFD tests is: Report a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test result – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION – COVID-19
To read the ‘Care Homes LFD Self Testing Guidance’ from the Government, please click here: care-home-lfd-self-test-guidance-v04-02_2
