Eastbourne care home will allow residents to have safe face-to-face contact with their loved ones during lockdown

Beechwood Grove on East Dean Road is introducing a summer house into its garden which will allow residents to meet loved ones in safety. Clear screens will be installed in the summer house so both parties will be able to see and talk to each other.

Residents will enter from one side while up to two family members from the same household will be shown into the other side via the garden.

Half-hour visits will be booked via an online appointment system and the summer house will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between each visit.

Caroline Braime, home manager, said: “We are, so far, free of coronavirus due to the measures we brought in very early on such as closing our doors to visitors. However, we recognise that residents and families would dearly love to be able to see each other.

“We have been keeping people in touch via video calls but it’s not the same as being in the same space together. This is why we came up with the idea of the summer house.”

Lesley Robbins’ mum, Audrey, lives at Beechwood Grove. She hasn’t been able to visit her since early March and said: “I think it is the most wonderful, brilliant idea.

“I’ve mentioned it to friends who have relatives in care homes and none of them had heard of anything like it in their homes.

“Not being able to see Mum has been so difficult and this will make a huge difference. I’m so thrilled.”

Beechwood Grove, owned by Oakland Care, underwent a comprehensive risk assessment before the lockdown was introduced.

Joanne Balmer, from Oakland Care, said: “We know this is a worrying time for the whole community and we want families to feel confident to move a relative in with us. They can be assured that they will be safe and receive the care that they need. Now that they will also be able to ‘see’ them, this will benefit everyone’s wellbeing.”

The summer house will arrive next week and should be welcoming their first visitors shortly after.