Mansfield and Ashfield MPs welcome extended visits and faster testing for care homes

Ashfield and Mansfield’s MPs have welcomed new guidelines for extended care home visits and testing with one local facility trialling an 11 minute diagnostic machine and opening a visitor ‘pub’ pod.
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Plans are in place to reduce the suffering faced by families and care home residents unable to spend time together due to Covid restrictions

New Government guidelines will see 30-minute visits extended to four hours, outdoor visits to include up to six visitors, including children and young people, up to one hour per visit and trials to speed up testing and could be in every care home by Christmas

Ashmere Nottinghamhire Ltd care home manager Paula Jefford along with the quality manager Danielle Cotton work on Covid 19 tests back in October with a machine that gave results in 88 minutes. They are now trialling another machine giving results in 11.5 minutes.Ashmere Nottinghamhire Ltd care home manager Paula Jefford along with the quality manager Danielle Cotton work on Covid 19 tests back in October with a machine that gave results in 88 minutes. They are now trialling another machine giving results in 11.5 minutes.
Ashmere Nottinghamhire Ltd care home manager Paula Jefford along with the quality manager Danielle Cotton work on Covid 19 tests back in October with a machine that gave results in 88 minutes. They are now trialling another machine giving results in 11.5 minutes.
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Ashfield’s MP Lee Anderson said and he knew from experience how “tough” the coronavirus restrictions were for families with relatives in care homes.

He said: “In September I contacted the Care minister Helen Whately on this issue. She told Science and Technology and Health and Social Care committees she would like to see family members treated as essential workers, given weekly testing and PPE.

"The new guidelines will see 30-minute visits extended to four hours, outdoor visits can be extended to include up to six visitors from no more than two households, including children and young people, for up to one hour per visit.

"Following the Secretary of State’s announcement yesterday (Monday), the Government’s goal is to ensure that we have the testing available in every care home by Christmas, to make sure that people can take a test and therefore see their loved ones safely.”

Sutton care business at cutting edge of  Covid trial technology - Ashmere Nottinghamshire LtdSutton care business at cutting edge of  Covid trial technology - Ashmere Nottinghamshire Ltd
Sutton care business at cutting edge of Covid trial technology - Ashmere Nottinghamshire Ltd
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And Mansfield’s MP Ben Bradley said: “I’m really pleased that new, faster testing will enable us to get visitors back in to see their families. Trials are starting now and Ministers say they hope to have the technology available for all care homes in time for Christmas, which will be really welcome news for so many people.

"Through these challenging times supporting our loved ones is more important than ever, particularly with Christmas approaching. I’m increasingly optimistic that between new testing programmes and progress on vaccines, we’ll be in a position to open up and move forward very soon.”

A Sutton care home business has already been at the cutting edge of Covid 19 trials. In October, Ashmere Nottinghamshire Ltd, which runs the Sutton Lodge, Sutton Manor and Sutton Court homes, on Priestsic Road, was the first care facility in the country to trial a Covid-19 diagnostic machine giving results in 88 minutes.

Ben Bradley MPBen Bradley MP
Ben Bradley MP

It currently has a new mobile machine which gives results in just 11.5 minutes.

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Ashmere Nottinghamshire Ltd MD Claire Sharpe said: “Again, we’re the very first home in the UK to take delivery of a brand new rapid point of care test machine and with the results in 11.5 minutes, they are very quick. It is a trial by Condor, if successful, it means visitors would be able to come back again.”

The home has also just developed a new “Visitor Pod” to keep visitors and residents safe.

Claire said: “It is an external building in the style of a pub. It means residents don’t have to come into the home. One family at a time can book it, have a drink with their relative, it’s private, there is a screen and a machine disinfects the area. There also a large outside beer garden for when the weather is nice.”