Public Health County Hall Martineau Lane NR1 2SQ

General Enquiries: 0344 800 8020 Textphone: 0344 800 8011 Fax: 01603 223096

Date: 26 October 2020

Dear Provider,

You will know already that is at Medium Covid alert status and we are seeing increasing levels of infection in communities across the whole of the county with several areas experiencing higher and increasing rates of transmission.

Our priority remains to keep residents, staff and visitors safe and well.

The decision as to whether to allow visitors, and in what circumstances, remains with the provider of each care provision. However, the guidance from the Norfolk’s Director of Public Health is that all face to face visits should temporarily stop in the following areas:

Breckland , & North & Neatherd , Bradenham & Wayland, Ellingham & Great Watton , & Narborough

Great Yarmouth Bradwell North Bradwell South & Hopton Gorleston West Yarmouth Central and Northgate Yarmouth North

Norwich Eaton University and Avenues

For assistance in identifying where your care setting is within this area or nearby please follow this link and insert your postcode https://coronavirus-staging.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

The rationale by which these areas have been identified is set out in the framework below. They are areas in which there is high and increasing infection rates, local sustained transmission and multiple outbreaks nearby.

We will review these areas every two weeks.

To enable a more restricted level of visiting, homes are asked to have a visiting policy communicated to families, residents and staff. www.norfolk.gov.uk

The above applies unless there are exceptional individual circumstances such as end of life care. We understand that you may need to agree an exceptional visit at short notice and out of hours.

For all other care providers in Norfolk and those adjacent to the areas highlighted above we ask that you revisit your assessment of risk to ensure safety for all reflecting individual and group circumstances as well as the increasing rates of Covid-19 across the County.

To find out more including advice and guidance on visiting arrangements, policy requirements or about current status please contact: Care Provider Incident Room (CPIR): Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01603 257231.

Government Guidance, ‘Update on policies for visiting arrangements in Care Homes’ is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visiting-care-homes-during-coronavirus/update-on- policies-for-visiting-arrangements-in-care-homes

Your ongoing support to ensure we protect ourselves, protect others and protect Norfolk is very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Dr S.J. Louise Smith, MB ChB, PhD, FFPH Director of Public Health Norfolk County Council

Gary Heathcote, Director of Commissioning Adult Social Services Norfolk County Council

www.norfolk.gov.uk

Rationale behind recommendations

Risk level Definition Action Medium 7 day incidence rate of <50 cases per Current national guidance on care 100,000 and no evidence of high risk local home visiting should be followed outbreak Enhanced Areas in which there is a rapid rise in Stop visits to care homes in MSOA COVID-19 cases or moderate numbers of areas that have the highest cases linked to on going outbreaks that prevalence – i.e. >100/100k pose a risk to transmission to the local community Review in 2 weeks

Severe level Areas with persistently high 7 day National alert level 2 of risk incidence of COVID-19 cases where For MSOAs with 7 day incidence national alert levels have been escalated >100 per 100,000 population visiting should be suspended whilst the area is in enhanced measures in all but exceptional circumstances

National alert level 3 Suspend all visiting except in exceptional circumstances for whole district

www.norfolk.gov.uk