Council restricting access to care homes

Shetland Islands Council is taking steps to prevent the spread of infection in care centres during the coronavirus pandemic.

Visits to care centres will be restricted to essential visitors only, including health and care professionals and close family visiting those receiving end of life care.

Care centre staff will ensure that, as far as possible, residents have access to telephones, Skype and other forms of communication to maintain contact with family and friends.

Changes have also been made to day-care, vocational activity and respite arrangements. Adult services – learning disability and autism groups at Eric Gray @ Seafield, and Newcraigielea Day Care and GOLD Group, will close to ordinary bookings from this week.

Day care provision will also close and alternative arrangements for day care services for older people are being made.  People affected by these changes will be contacted directly by care staff and arrangements made to support them in the best way possible.

Simon Bokor-Ingram, director of community health and social care, said: “Care centre residents are particularly vulnerable to infection and we’re taking steps to help protect them during the current coronavirus pandemic.

“We have also made the difficult decision to close day care provision and some of the adult services groups.

“We understand that this will have a significant impact on families and carers but we’ve taken these steps to minimise the risk to some of the most vulnerable members of our community, based on the national guidance.”