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Publication - Advice and guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult care homes visiting guidance

Last updated 31 January 2023 - see all updates
Directorate
Chief Medical Officer Directorate, +1 more … Chief Nursing Officer Directorate
Part of
Coronavirus in Scotland, Health and social care

Guidance on visiting during the pandemic plus tools and resources on visiting, and supporting residents in homes with COVID-19.

This document is part of 2 collections

Guidance updates

Public Health Scotland have updated their COVID-19 guidance for care homes. There used to be two guidance documents - one for older people care homes and another for social, community and residential care services, which laterally included younger adult care homes. These have been combined into the one guidance document for COVID-19 for social, community and residential care settings. 

ARHAI Scotland have also published National Infection Prevention and Control Manual: Appendix 21: COVID-19 Pandemic IPC Controls for Health and Social Care Settings (scot.nhs.uk). This guidance details the COVID-19 pandemic measures still in place for all adult social care settings including care homes. It replaces the IPC Winter Respiratory Addendum and should be used by all social care settings.

Open with Care - supporting meaningful contact in adult care homes

We published Open with Care: supporting meaningful contact in adult care homes – principles on 1 June 2022. It is an update of the original Open with Care guidance published in February 2021.  It details the expectation and principles for visiting in adult care homes, including during outbreaks. It also provides an overview of the current guidance. An easy read version of Open with Care: visiting in adult care homes guidance is also available. In addition to this, a leaflet has been produced to support families and friends to visit individuals who live in adult care homes. Paper copies of these leaflets were sent to care homes. 

We published Scotland’s Strategic framework update for tackling COVID-19 on 22 February 2022, which sets out a vision for adult care homes.

More guidance on visiting and protective measures during outbreaks

Care homes

General public

Letters to the sector and additional supporting information

Letters to the sector and additional supporting information

Open with Care – poster for care homes – 24 February 2021
Image
1.6 MB

Infographics and resources

Assessing and managing older care home residents in acute and emergency care settings - poster
1 page PDF
1.9 MB
Assessing and managing older care home residents in acute and emergency care settings – video script
6 page PDF
174.4 kB
Best practice for detecting and managing Covid in care homes – poster: July 2021
1 page PDF
2.7 MB
Best practice for detecting and managing covid in care homes – video script
5 page PDF
174.3 kB

Contact

Email: CareHomesCovidSupport@gov.scot

First published
31 March 2022
Last updated
31 January 2023 - show all updates

  1. Contact email address updated.

  2. Updated link under care homes guidance.

  3. Minor updates to text and links.

  4. Added intro text and new link.

  5. Three broken links updated on page.

  6. Updated to reflect the latest guidance.

  7. Removed out of date information and added links to latest guidance.

  8. Minor amends and link to Dropbox added.

  9. Updated visiting and promoting activities for residents links.

  10. Updated Public Health Scotland links.

  11. Added link to ministerial letter.

  12. Updated to reflect latest position including reduction of some measures

  13. Updated to reflect latest position.

  14. Added letter to adult care homes regarding visiting and omicron – 22 December 2021

  15. letter added advising of measures that should be taken during the winter period added and links to guidance.

  16. Link to letter added advising of measures that should be taken during the winter period.

  17. Removed link to archived documents as these are available in the website archive https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20210402112157/https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-adult-care-homes-visiting-guidance/

  18. Visiting professionals into care homes and communal activities text updated.

  19. Link to named visitor guidance added.

  20. Open with care additional documents renamed to Letters to the sector and additional supporting information. COVID-19 social distancing measures - letter to social care services - September 2021 document added to this section.

  21. Document added to Open with Care.

  22. Updated best practice for detecting and managing Covid in care homes poster.

  23. Added link to revised supplementary information and letter re improving care home residents’ contact and connection – on moving to and past Level 0.

  24. link to report on progress with implementation of Open with Care guidance added.

  25. Added PDF of Open with Care – outings away from the care home – workshop slides 19 May 2021.

  26. Added Open with Care additional documents and reordered other supporting documentation

  27. Open with Care supplementary information updated.

  28. Frequently asked questions replaced with supplementary guidance.

  29. Open with Care workshop slides added

  30. Added new guidance for Open with Care and moved older guidance to archived documents section.

  31. Added letter about care Home visiting and visitor testing, new Level 4 restrictions 26 December.

  32. Updated Christmas and New Year guidance pdf download.

  33. Updated to reflect new guidance on festive period.

  34. Added guidance on Christmas and New Year

  35. Added scripts and posters for frontline best practice and acute and emergency care settings.

  36. Added new letter from Cabinet Secretary

  37. Guidance on visiting family and friends updated.

  38. Added new letter from Cabinet Secretary and updated guidance leaflet for visitors and enhancing wellbeing guidance.

  39. Updated friends and family visiting guidance, addition of letter from Cab sec, addition of enhancing wellbeing visits and activities doc.

  40. Updated leaflet and guidance in line with announced changes. Replaced letter from Cabinet Secretary with a revised one.

  41. Updated advice on moving to stages three and four.

  42. Added FAQ guide for care home staff.

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