Coronavirus
Coronavirus information
Page updated on 5 April 2023 in response to new Government guidelines.
Villages
The Government guidelines now treat symptomatic residents who are eligible for COVID-19 treatments differently to those who are not eligible.
Residents eligible for COVID-19 treatments
These are residents who have been informed by their GP or the NHS that they fall into this category. If you think this may apply to you, please check with your GP, talk to your village manager or visit this link:
If you have been informed that you are in this category, we would appreciate it if you would let your village manager know so we can provide any support you may require.
If you are in this category and have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, you should follow these guidelines:
Let your villager manager know and take an LFD test immediately (the Trust can provide you with LFD test kits). If you have a high temperature or feel unwell you are advised to avoid contact with other people. It is particularly important to avoid close contact with anyone you know that is at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell if they are infected with COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, as detailed in the Government guidance. If you test negative you need to complete a further 2 LFD tests over the next 2 days. If your test results are all negative, you can return to your normal activities - if you do not have a temperature and you feel well enough to do so.
If positive, you are advised to stay away from others for a minimum of 5 days after the day you took the test. After 5 days, you can return to your normal activities if you feel well enough and no longer have a high temperature. You should remain in isolation up until 10 days if you continue to feel unwell or have a high temperature. Residents should avoid meeting people at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19 for 10 days after the day they tested positive.
Please report your test result at https://www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result or by dialing 119 to ensure you get treatment at the earliest opportunity. Please let your village manager know the result of your test so we can provide any support that you need and also assist with the reporting of your test result if required.
Residents not eligible for COVID-19 treatments
If you have not been informed by your GP or the NHS that you are eligible for COVID-19 treatments, you should follow these guidelines:
If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19 and have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to do your usual activities, you are advised to stay away from others until you no longer have a high temperature or no longer feel unwell. Residents are not now required to take an LFD test if they are symptomatic. We will therefore be unable to provide LFD test kits as previously. It is particularly important to avoid close contact with anyone you know that is at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell if they are infected with COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, as detailed in the Government guidance.
If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19 please let your village manager know so they can provide any support you may need.
Contacts of an individual with COVID-19
Residents who are a household or overnight contact should follow the guidance for the general public set out here:
I would like to take this opportunity to remind residents that the Spring COVID-19 booster vaccination will shortly be available for anyone over the age of 75 and for those with a weakened immune system. You should be offered an appointment between April and June. Please book your booster in your usual way when invited by your GP or the NHS to do so. Please let a member of the village management team know when you have had your vaccination.
Please note that care homes are covered by a different set of government guidelines to retirement villages.
Care homes
Visiting
In line with the government’s most recent guidance, we would request that you do not visit the care home if:
- You have tested positive for COVID-19 or received an unclear COVID-19 test result within the last 6 days.
- You are feeling unwell, even if you have tested negative for COVID-19. This reflects the current Government guidance which states:
“Visitors should not enter the care home if they are feeling unwell, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19, are fully vaccinated and have received their booster. Transmissible viruses such as flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and norovirus can be just as dangerous to care home residents as COVID-19. If visitors have symptoms that suggest COVID-19, they should follow the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection.”
Please do not visit the care home until you are feeling better and your temperature (if you had one) has returned to normal.
Testing
From Monday 3 April 2023 the Government made further changes to the guidance for adult social care related to testing. As a result, the Trust no longer requires care home visitors to LFD test prior to entering a care home after having attended a high risk event or gathering such as a funeral, a flight, theatre etc. This means that unfortunately we are no longer able to provide LFD test kits to visitors, as we have done previously.
Please note that we will continue to check visitors’ temperatures by thermal camera on arrival at the care home. The guidelines continue to require care home visitors to follow the same infection prevention and control (IPC) measures as our colleagues. You may be asked to wear a face mask during your visit in the following circumstances:
- If your relative/loved-one is Covid-19 positive, suspected to be Covid-19 positive, or is displaying respiratory symptoms.
- If it is the preference of your relative/loved-one.
- If the care home is in outbreak.
- If directed by a member of the care home management team.
- If required by UKHSA.
Face masks will be available on arrival for visitor use. Please feel free to use a face mask for your visit in addition to the circumstances listed above.
In the event that visitors are being asked to wear face masks, children under the age of 11 who are visiting may choose whether or not to wear a face mask. However, they should be encouraged to follow other IPC measures such as practicing hand hygiene. Face masks for children under the age of 3 are not recommended for safety reasons.
If you have any questions about these guidelines please contact your care home management team.
Contact details
If you need to contact one of our care homes, the telephone numbers are:
- Garden House 0117 949 4009
- Russets and Sherwood 01934 825 900
- John Wills House 0117 377 3730
- Charterhouse 0117 363 7200
Thermal cameras
All our care homes are equipped with a thermal camera that will automatically take your temperature on entry to the home. If the camera indicates that you have a raised temperature you will be asked to wait outside until a member of staff comes to speak to you.
This web page was last updated on 5 April, 2023