Edinburgh care home offers 'visiting pod' with Perspex screens to let residents meet loved ones through winter during Covid pandemic

An Edinburgh care home has brought in a designated visiting room to allow residents to keep spending time with their loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new visiting pod.

The ‘visiting pod’ at Queens Manor care home is similar to a living room with furnishings and is heated and has an intercom system fitted for residents to speak with their families through a Perspex glass divider to prevent virus transmission.

Infection control protocols and safe social distancing are in place for every visit, including a hand sanitiser station before entry.

Care provider Barchester Healthcare also said cleaning will take place after each visit to ensure chairs, seats, hard surfaces and the Perspex divider are properly wiped down.

Sharon McGowan, general manager at the home, said the designated room visits will be offered alongside their existing outdoor visits, adding: “It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives in a warm and cosy environment.”