Speaking in the Welsh Parliament this afternoon, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood called for an urgent Welsh Government Statement on ‘Covid-19 Restrictions on Visits to Care Homes in Wales’ after being contacted by families in North Wales who are desperate to visit loved ones in care homes.
Mr Isherwood raised the matter in today’s Plenary proceedings during the Business Statement and quoted constituents who have contacted him calling for Covid safe visits to be allowed.
The constituents are concerned that the restrictions are having a detrimental impact on their elderly relatives living in the care homes.
Mr Isherwood said:
“As one constituent wrote: “Our mother has only resided at the nursing home since February.
“Visits stopped completely during the first wave of the pandemic and resumed with outdoor visits in mid-August. However all visits stopped again on 1st October.
“The restrictions on visiting at this moment are detrimental to Mum's health and well-being and an infringement of her civil liberties and rights.
“ I hope that you will urge the Welsh Government to advise that where visits to residents in care homes can be made safely, they should be re-instated as soon as possible.”
“As the daughter of another care home resident wrote:
“I beg you to speak up for my beautiful mother who is at later stage dementia and her mental and physical health are deteriorating rapidly due to not being able to have her family around her.
“There are many things that could be put in place to allow visits to be able to happen.
“Please help us before it’s too late and the majority of these helpless old people die of broken hearts and loneliness.”
Mr Isherwood added: “I call for an urgent Statement accordingly.”
The Trefnydd Rebecca Evans said she would speak to the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services in order to “provide an update on the latest work that is going on to ensure that we're best able to support people who are in care homes, but also recognising that the needs are not just around protecting people from COVID-19, but also about promoting their mental health and well-being and ensuring that they keep those family ties alive.”