The UK government has confirmed that family members who test negative for coronavirus (COVID-19) can visit care homes in England from today.
It will allow “care home residents to be reunited with families by Christmas”.
Care home residents in all tiers of the government’s “tougher” three tier system will be able to see their families again, with over a million tests due to be sent out providers over the next month and the first visits to begin in the homes today (Wednesday 2nd November).
In a statement published to the gov.uk website, the government states: “A significant increase in testing capacity, paired with new testing technology, will allow friends and family to visit relatives in care homes if they receive a negative result prior to the visit”, and adds that the move is set to enable care homes to “safely maintain a balance between infection control and the vital benefits of visiting to the health and wellbeing of residents”.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the move was possible due to “unprecedented strides” in testing technology and capacity.
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Care home residents will be reunited with family by Christmas after a roll-out of rapid #COVID19 testing.
Over a million tests will be sent out to providers over the next month with visits to begin from Wednesday.
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) December 1, 2020
Mr Hancock continued: “I know how difficult it has been for people in care homes and their families to be apart for so long.
“The separation has been painful but has protected residents and staff from this deadly virus, [so] I’m so pleased we are now able to help reunite families and more safely allow people to have meaningful contact with their loved ones by Christmas.
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“This news has been made possible by the unprecedented strides made in testing technology and capacity, as well as extra PPE supplies.”
In the new guidance for care home visits as published yesterday evening, the Department of Health and Social Care says the “default position” is now that visits should be enabled to go ahead in all tiers – unless there is an outbreak in the care home – and it has been confirmed that more than a million lateral flow tests have already been sent out to the 385 biggest care homes as the first tranche of a phased approach to make visits safer.
I know how difficult it has been for people in care homes & their families to be apart for so long.
I’m so pleased we're now able to help reunite families & more safely allow people to have meaningful contact with their loved ones by Christmas.https://t.co/oa1O6jM8a9
Each care home is responsible for setting the visiting policy in that home.
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Care homes will manage the number of visits that take place – which must be arranged in advance – with visitors urged to be mindful of the additional workload for the care home.
The Department of Health and Social Care adds that hand holding and hugging may be possible if other infection control measures are followed, but it stresses the importance of visitors wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect their loved ones.
An extra 46 million items of free PPE will be sent to CQC-registered care home providers through the government portal in addition to PPE already available.
Over 220 million items of PPE have been provided to adult care homes since April.
The number of tests kits being supplied has been modelled to allow up to two visitors per resident, visiting twice a week, but visitors will still be expected to follow infection prevention and control procedures, and should “minimise contact as much as possible” to reduce the risk of transmission.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
The Manc -
2nd December 2020 
