Sheffield care home “visits” using technology don’t always work well, say relatives
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But a report by a Sheffield watchdog has found while some care homes tried their best, lack of time and access to equipment meant it did not always work well and some relatives even said it had a negative impact on their visits.
Healthwatch Sheffield spoke to 23 people, with relatives in 18 care homes in the city, to find out their experiences of visiting during October and November.
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Hide AdThere was a mixed reaction to some of the technology. One person said: “On more than two occasions I haven’t even been able to do FaceTime as either staff can’t work it or the phone hasn’t been answered.”
Another said: “There is good intent from the care home but they are not equipped or trained in online resources.”
And a third added: “I appreciate the difficulties but care homes are not geared up or resourced appropriately for technology.”
In its report, Healthwatch said: “We heard about a variety of approaches that care homes in Sheffield were taking to facilitate visiting during Covid-19.
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Hide Ad“There were examples of good practice, such as homes which used WhatsApp to keep in contact with friends and family, and homes which have done individual risk assessments to facilitate visits. In other places, we heard that a more blanket approach was being used.
“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 staff to facilitate these visits, and produce clear visiting policies for friends and family.”
Healthwatch recently said not being able to visit loved ones in care homes had a significant impact on the mental and physical health of both residents and families.