Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current arrangements for chaplains of all faith groups to visit residents in care homes.
In the face of a new variant of the virus we have acted to protect those most at risk in care homes and ensure visits can go ahead safely in some form. Visits to care homes can continue to take place with arrangements such as outdoor visiting, substantial screens, visiting pods or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not currently allowed. However, visits in exceptional circumstances, including end of life, should always be supported and enabled.