Visiting relatives in care homes across Sheffield

This month we've heard from 23 people about 18 different care homes in Sheffield. They told us whether they've been able to have meaningful interactions with their loved ones, and how care home visiting policies are working for them.

In November 2020, we supported a national John’s Campaign survey which asked the relatives of care home residents how visiting has worked for them, and how the home has tried to support meaningful interactions.

What did we find?

Nearly half of the respondents said they hadn't been able to visit their loved ones in care homes during November, despite local and national guidance aiming to support homes to facilitate visits and undertake individual risk assessments.

People shared concerns that the impact on the physical and mental health of both residents and their relatives has been significant.

It's important for care home residents to be able to see their loved ones wherever possible, and to have meaningful interactions with them whether this is online or face to face.

Based on what people have told us, it seems more needs to be done to support care home staff to facilitate these visits, and produce clear visiting policies for friends and family.