Covid Scotland: Pressure mounts for 'unfair' care home 14-day isolation period to be cut

By Elsa Maishman
Published 16th Jan 2022, 04:55 BST
Comment
The Scottish Government is facing increasing pressure to reduce the mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for care home residents.

Currently residents who leave the home for a visit to hospital are required to self-isolate for 14 days on their return, regardless of whether or not they test negative for Covid-19.

During this period they are allowed a named visitor.

Self-isolation requirements for members of the general population in Scotland have recently been cut to seven days for someone who has the virus, but then tests negative on days six and seven.

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Resident Annie Innes, 90, talks with a healthcare worker at the Abercorn House Care Home in Hamilton.Resident Annie Innes, 90, talks with a healthcare worker at the Abercorn House Care Home in Hamilton.
Resident Annie Innes, 90, talks with a healthcare worker at the Abercorn House Care Home in Hamilton.

Relatives of people in care homes have branded the increasing discrepancy “unfair”, and warned lengthy solitary isolation is damaging the wellbeing of residents.

Under increasing pressure from relatives and other representative bodies, social care minister Kevin Stewart has indicated the position may soon change.

Sheila Hall, a member of the campaign group Care Home Relatives Scotland, whose mother Alice was forced to self-isolate before Christmas after a hospital visit not related to Covid, said the restriction was “unfair” when compared to the rest of the population.

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“It just seems so ludicrous when you compare it with what's happening with staff now,” she said.

“They can have Covid and then be back to work after seven days. It’s so unfair – and that’s someone who’s had Covid.

“These residents, they’ve not had Covid, they’ve had two negative PCRs, and yet they're still stuck in their room for two weeks."

Ms Hall added: “It's the isolation of the residents, the harm that isolation is doing.

“We say 14 days, but that’s two weeks sitting looking at a wall. It just cannot be right.”