RELATIVES will find it easier to visit care homes if a proposal is approved by Wokingham Borough Council on Thursday evening.
An extraordinary meeting of the ruling executive on December 17 will consider authorising spending up to £500,000 on a new three-pronged programme of support in the fight against the coronavirus.
The measures will include boosting the council’s track and trace capacity and helping with the logistics for the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
The third part of the proposal will see part of the council’s offices at Shute End converted into a lateral flow testing station.
This is a rapid test that will be used to allow residents wishing to visit a relative in one of the 20-odd participating care homes to be screened. If the test is negative, they will be able to arrange a visit.
“The lateral flow testing is exciting,” said council leader John Halsall. “We will be able to test around 200 people a day. The care home will tell the potential visitor when to make themselves available at Shute End and they’ll be tested. The results will be shared with the care home and the individual.
“They will then be able to go to the care home and visit their elderly relation or friend.
“But they will have to dress up in PPE and no hugging or kissing – but they will be able to hold hands.
“I think we’re the first local authority in the country to do this.”
While Cllr Halsall was unsure of the exact hours that the service will operate over the Christmas period, he said that the intention was to do everything possible to let borough residents meet with their families over Christmas.
He was also excited about the vaccination programme that has been rolling out across the borough since last week. A partnership with the local NHS CCG meant that the inoculations will start to be given out in GPs surgeries.
“This is going to be the biggest inoculation in history,” Cllr Halsall said. “We’re starting in Wargrave, and I’m pleased it’s being rolled out.
“The borough council will provide marshalling and administrative help so that the medical people can concentrate on the medical work.”
He added that although he lived in neighbouring Ruscombe, his GP was in Henley and the decision to start the programme in Wargrave was not made by the council.
The third part of the proposals will see the council bring in more people to work in the contact tracing department: as it reopens more services, staff who had been redeployed to assist in its coronavirus response will return to their original roles.
“It’s the recognition that we are going back to more normality, with all normal services running. At the same time we will be rolling out support to businesses, and families, and the poverty agenda which are talking about.”
