An Andover care home has introduced a new visiting room to allow residents and their loved ones to continue to visit while obeying Covid regulations.

Rothsay Grange, on Weyhill Road, now has a 'visiting pod,' with a perspex screen separating visitors and residents, who can speak via intercom.

The room is furnished with chairs in what the home says is an attempt to create a "welcoming and warm environment" for residents and is designed to act as an additional service to outdoor visits during the cold winter months.

The home says cleaning will take place after every visit, including a hand sanitizer station before entry, while staff will ensure chairs, seats, hard surfaces including windowsills, and the Perspex glass divider are wiped down appropriately.

Jessica Salway, general manager at the home, said: “The designated visiting suite has been a much welcomed development for our residents at Rothsay Grange to continue to receive much looked forward to visits from their loved ones, as the weather changes. Alongside the continued offer of outdoor visiting, the designated room visits are well organised, and a lot of safety measures have been put in place to keep everyone safe. It was wonderful to see how happy it made the residents and their relatives in a warm and cosy environment. We hope that visits can continue through the next lockdown, and we await the update from the government in regards to this.”

Last month, Rothsay Grange was given a grading of "Requires Improvement" for safety and leadership by CQC inspectors after a visit to the home. They found that “the Memory Lane floor was not sufficiently staffed” and “saw several staff who were either not wearing masks or who put them on when they saw us.”