On 22 July 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care published guidance relating to visiting policies in respect of care homes in England.

This guidance sets out a framework for local area policies, that take count of the circumstances of the individual care home (e.g. employee availability, resident demographics and outbreak status), and local circumstances (e.g. presence of outbreaks in the community).

Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to allow visitors, and in what circumstances, is an operational decision and therefore for the provider and managers of each individual setting to make. Nonetheless, before visits can go ahead there should be liaison with the local director of public health.

For a more detailed summary of this guidance, please visit the Mental Capacity Law and Policy website.

In any circumstance where a care home is required to reinforce restriction due to local outbreaks, Providers must do whatever they can to facilitate other types of contact with loved ones such as telephone, Skype, Whatsapp video calling, Zoom or Facetime. ​

The Hub provides all types of statutory Independent Advocacy for Lambeth residents aged 16 and over.

 The Advocacy Hub is a partnership between dasl, Community Support Network South London (CSNSL) and POhWER under the
Connect Lambeth range of services.

The services provided are: 

• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
• Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA)
• Advocacy under the Care Act
• Relevent Person’s Paid Representative service (RPPR)
• Independent Health Complaints Advocacy service

 Please visit www.connectlambeth.org/advocacy, email us at advocacy@connectlambeth.org or call us on 020 3143 9000 to find out more.

The theme of the week is the importance of friendships during lockdown. 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have all been living in lockdown. This means that many people with a learning disability are feeling isolated, as they have been unable to see their friends and families.

We know that people with a learning disability already experience high levels of loneliness and social isolation and that this will only have been made worse by the lockdown.

We want to show the importance of friendships to help with tackling isolation, as well as exploring the different ways of maintaining friendships during this unusual time.

To find out more about how to get involved, visit Mencap's website.

Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

This year, people across the country are continuing to face new challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support. They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding.

Carers Hub Lambeth have been doing their bit to Make Caring Visible. 

In the run up to Carers Week, carers, staff and trustees shares quotes and photos about what caring means to them.

Today, they have also launched the Carers Week 2020 video showcasing young carers and adult carers' thoughts about What Caring Means to Me.