Do we need a separate set of Care Home Regulations (COVID) for residential care homes for learning disabilities ?

[Jez2525]

I understand that the Care Home Regulations concerning COVID that are currently in place in the UK (Revised due to Omicron in December 2021) seem to be the same for Elderly care homes and Residential Care homes for Learning Disabilities - I find this quite unfair and I am beginning to view it as disability discrimination, verging on being against the Human Rights Act when imposed strictly by care homes instructed by public health bodies and teams. Are there any campaigns or petitions I could join to add my voice to this subject ? Is this subject being discussed anywhere online or in the media ? There should be a separate set of Care Home Regulations for residential care homes for learning disabilities. Comments and discussion welcome.

[class9F]

Totally agree there should be seperate guidance. I have written to my MP several times on the matter but only get a standard reply. I have also written to the Joint committee on human rights and they informed me that there is an enquiry ongoing on the guidance issued to care homes during COVID but they failed to pick up my point that there should be separate guidance for care homes for younger adults. These care homes are very different to care homes for the elderly. They are generally more like a family home whereas care homes for the elderly are large and can have upwards of 40 residents. It is discrimination. Current guidance states that after each visit out the resident must take a daily lateral flow test for 10 days after. The staff take 3 a week and no other part of society is expected to take daily LFT unless they have been in direct contact with covid. For someone who goes to a day centre or college they will be doing daily LFT until the guidance is changed. The government made the distinction between old peoples homes and those for younger adults when first rolling out the covid vaccine as one was in group 1 and the other in group 6 later changed to 4 so it is possible to have seperate guidance/rules.

[Tracidu in reply to class9F]

Hi, I totally agree there should be different rules for young LD to elderly care . Also were they live is totally different to an elderly care home , it's thier home and a much smaller setting than care homes for the elderly .

My Son lives at home with me so I can only speak for day care , ... . his day care shut earlier than it should of before Christmas ,even though they had no cases of covid , , they said they do not know if they will open after Christmas .

I really hope they don't close for another 15months like last time .

I don't know if it's the council or the individual manager making these decisions but if there is no cases I don't know what guide lines they are following ?

I sometimes think staff enjoyed not having clients in .. , I see them all standing in the office or wandering round outside the building chatting and smoking and on full pay . Last time they done zoom games and sending home suduku and word search to my son who can't do any of it , so sorry if I sound horrible it makes me angry that they have no empathy with the attendees or parent carers .

I feel this is discrimination , especially when you see other young people getting on with thier lives , I totally understand precautions should be taken , they cut the number of attendees that go daily and go outside for walks , I make sure he is showerd ,clean clothes and sanitised before he attends and LFT every time....

It's very worrying that LD is treated the same as the elderly . I do look for petions and have written to my mp on a few occasions and only ever recieve a standard letter which never answer my question.

LD forgotten again I'm afraid .

[Eeviee]

Have you contacted mencap directly or Learning Disability England?

[49Twister]

This has been a huge bugbear of many of us from the beginning. Unfortunately it seems to fall on deaf ears. Unless the big organisations like MENCAP etc take on the government head on it feels an impossible task. If I remember correctly initially the LD were way down the list for vaccination status, but this was changed with the help of MENCAP, so it is possible. Apologies if I’ve got that wrong, it’s all gone on for so long.

[LDAutie]

hi Jez2525 i agree with what you are saying they definately need to highlight the difference between elderly and learning disabled residential care because its disgusting that fellow learning disabled people were being kept from seeing their families for so long,from doing their daily routines for so long,from getting outside and doing normal things for so long ,this has a huge knock on mental health,communication and behaviors.

i woud worry though if there was to be a learning disability set of rules for residential care how it woud impact on those of us with LD and complex needs or health needs as part of their LD, woud the set of rules be based on each care homes risk asessments or is this a set of rules that woud cover every home in the same way?

im all for it if its basing it on each homes set of residents and the complex needs or health needs they may have.

i lived in institutional and residential care right up untill jan 2016 where i was then housed in supported living on my own within a facility but with staff constantly with me day and night,even though its supported living they kind of follow the same strict guidelines as with residential except we arent as heavily locked down as you are in residential.

Jez2525 you can start a petition yourself,i think you can do this on the goverment petition one,and the change.org one? get one started anad ill sign.