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The announcement today that care home visits will start with' hand-holding 'is the first step on the PM roadmap out of lockdown. Care Campaign for the Vulnerable comments on this long-awaited decision that we say should have been allowed to happen at the very start of this pandemic. We must never forget the families that lost loved ones not just from Covid but because of underlying health conditions, neglect, suffering loneliness and isolation while being forced apart from loved ones.

CARE Campaign for the Vulnerable was founded eight years ago for care home residents and their families. Our support has never been so necessary as care homes, their residents and families have wrestled with the heartbreaking consequences of an inexplicable decision to transfer untested Covid-positive pensioners from hospitals into care homes. Last April we were the first organisation to call for a public inquiry into this move by the Government and NHS, which we wholeheartedly condemn as shortsighted stupidity. The scandal of no visits, the ludicrous idea of "window visits" and the plight of pensioners dying alone, with no one to hold their hand, can be traced back to that decision.

Carol and Jackie were told they couldn't hold the hand of their dying mother in her care home because of the risk of Covid, despite both testing negative.

The latest figures show 35,720 care home residents in England and Wales have now had Covid-19 recorded on their death certificate. This shocking toll stands testament to the awfulness of that decision to move people with Covid-19 into close proximity of other frail, elderly people. The devastation this crisis has brought to our elderly community in care homes has been more than just the virus itself. It will, without a doubt, have a life-long negative impact on family members, young and old, who were stopped from hugging or being with elderly parents or grandparents. Since this crisis started, we have seen our workload escalate as we walk the path with families who suffer deep anxiety and desperation after being told they can't visit loved ones.

They contact us utterly bereft that without their regular visits the health and memories of relatives or friends will rapidly deteriorate. Visitors don't just spend a few minutes chatting, many undertake personal care including feeding, washing and giving medication. These "care partners" were crucial to the continuing good health of pensioners, not least by raising any issues with the care home managers.

Sharon, a care partner to her mother told CCFTV she kissed her 'well' mother goodbye before lockdown and two weeks later was told by staff her mother wasn't eating or drinking. Sharon begged to go in to help assist her and the home refused. Sharon's mother caught Covid and sadly passed away. She told us ''I will never forgive the home for not allowing me in under exceptional circumstances or this Government that didn't consider our most vulnerable who rely so much on loving family members to help keep them well...''

Since lockdown and the ceasing of visitation, the Government left the decision of safe visits in the hands of care home providers. But in countless cases brought to us, families told us of homes sticking rigidly to rules and regulations they made up themselves or misinterpreted official guidance. They closed their doors and windows and deemed these vital care partners a safety risk. This is despite their care staff going in and out of the home with impunity. The Government said family members could visit elderly loved ones at the end of life but we know this didn't always happen. Some took their final breath alone. Care Campaign for the Vulnerable accepts the majority of care professionals have done absolutely sterling work during this pandemic and under extreme pressure. But we say there needs to be an independent public inquiry to examine the treatment of our vulnerable care home residents and make sure the same mistakes can never happen again.

CCFTV leading the calls for a public inquiry into the handling of care homes during the Covid Pandemic

CARE CAMPAIGN FOR THE VULNERABLE