Coronavirus (Covid-19)

While there are now no Government restrictions on visiting our care homes in England, Scotland and Wales, Covid-19 is still circulating in the general population and continues to have an impact on the way in which we operate. 

Visits can take place in an resident's bedroom, in a communal area or outdoors. In addition, there are no restrictions on taking your loved one out of their home for a trip out. 

Dealing with an outbreak

If we do have an outbreak in one of our homes, we will discuss this with our local public health teams. A Covid-19 outbreak in a care home is when there are two or more confirmed (or clinically suspected) cases in the home, and their symptoms started within 10 days of each other.

In these circumstances, in England, residents will still be able to have one nominated individual visit them as well as receive end of life visits. Your loved ones' care home will be able to give you more information about this as restrictions are laid down by public health for individual homes.

If a home is closed due to an outbreak, it might be that the local public health team still allows homes to take in new residents. If you or a loved one is considering a move to one of our homes, then please check with the home manager. 

In addition, you should be aware that care homes can also be closed on the advice of public health due to other infectious outbreaks such as norovirus and flu. 

Mask wearing

Government guidelines regarding mask wearing changed for care homes on 15 December 2022. MHA colleagues and support teams are no longer required to wear face masks unless there is a risk of infection or if there is an outbreak in the home. Care home managers will continue to assess any risks to your loved ones and provide the necessary advice to keep everyone safe.

Where possible, we would ask visitors to consider continuing to wear a face mask to keep your loved one as well as other residents safe, especially when you are in communal areas. You can remove your face mask when in your loved one’s bedroom. 

Covid-19 testing

Asymptomatic testing for Covid-19 in care homes in England is now paused, both for staff and residents. Testing will only take place if there are suspect cases of Covid-19. 

If you have any symptoms of Covid-19, or indeed any other infectious virus, then we would ask you not to visit and to preferably take a test before your next visit. If you are offered a Covid-19 or flu vaccination, we would ask you to consider taking these up to help limit the spread of these viruses. 

Scotland and Wales guidelines

Please note that guidance in Scotland and Wales can often differ from England’s. Links to their guidance are below. There is currently no guidance published for care home visiting in England on the gov.uk website. 

Read the guidance for care homes in Scotland >

Read the guidance for care homes in Wales >

Our retirement living schemes are open to visitors. However, if there are any individuals who have or are suspected to have Covid-19, the scheme manager or one of MHA’s colleagues at the scheme will provide guidance on accessing areas in the building and mask wearing to protect yourselves, friends and loved ones.

If you are feeling unwell or have been in contact with anyone with a virus; including Covid-19, flu or norovirus, please inform the scheme manager or a colleague and continue to take precautions such as wearing a mask and completing regular handwashing during your visit. However, we would generally advise staying at home. 

If you have tested positive for Covid-19, please stay at home and follow the general population guidance.

Further guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Our retirement living schemes are now open to viewings, these are on a pre-arranged appointment-only basis. This ensures that you, our staff, and our residents are completely safe throughout the viewing process.

We can also offer virtual viewings and can walk you through each part of the apartments.

If you would like to speak to a member of our Sales Team, please call 0800 479 2224 or email us at sales@mha.org.uk

Indoor and outdoor services are open and continue to monitor activities to maintain everyone’s safety and wellbeing.

If you are feeling unwell or have been in contact with anyone with a virus; including Covid-19, flu or norovirus, please inform the event co-ordinator who will provide further advice and guidance.

If you have tested positive for Covid-19, please stay at home and follow the general population guidance.

Please get in touch with your local scheme to find out what activities are available in your area. Visit the MHA Communities page to find their contact details. 

MHA Digital Communities online activities are also available if you'd rather join in from the comfort of your own home. 

We are recruiting across a variety of career and volunteer roles at MHA right now.

As the UK's largest charity care provider, we’re searching for empathetic and dedicated people with broad-ranging skills and experience to support our mission of enabling older people to live later life well.

Being part of MHA means being part of a caring and unwavering organisation where you will have the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of older people both across the UK and within your local communities. 

If you’re looking for a career opportunity, please visit our current vacancies page >

If you’d like to support MHA by volunteering, please visit our volunteering page >

For details on how to contact our PR Manager, please visit our media centre > 

For general MHA enquiries, please use our online contact form >

Our Communications Team is working hard to service all the media enquiries we receive and will come back to you as soon as possible. Many thanks for your understanding.