THE husband of a woman in a care home insists her progress has been hindered by visiting restrictions imposed during the coronavirus crisis.

John Davies, 60, of Leigh, has begun a legal fight in a bid to ensure his wife Michelle, 58, gets visits tailored to her needs during the pandemic.

He says Mrs Davies, an ex-council clerk who had a stroke in late 2018 and has brain damage, has not been treated as an individual.

Dr Davies wants a judge to rule Wigan Council and clinical commissioners should allow daily “face-to-face contact” with him and their son Kane, 33.

Dr Davies, a retired academic, said: "We have been together for 40 years and it’s been hard enough living apart while she has been in hospital and care homes.

"But not being allowed to have any meaningful contact with Michelle for the last eight months has been heartbreaking.

“The involvement of family and friends is critical to individuals who are undergoing neuro-rehabilitation and this has been denied to Michelle for an extended period.”

He added: “I believe this has hindered her progress significantly and has adversely affected her mental health.”

Dr Davies said video calls were a poor substitute and is aware of the dangers posed by coronavirus but wanted a “common sense approach”.

He added: “There has been a failure to treat Michelle as an individual over the last eight months. Instead she has been dealt with as one member of a huge amorphous group of people living in care homes. These people have names, families and lives. This one is called Michelle Davies.”

Mr Justice Hayden oversaw a preliminary hearing in the Court of Protection, where issues relating to people who do not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves are considered.

His solicitor Mathieu Culverhouse, of the firm Irwin Mitchell said the council and CCG had indicated it would work with the family.

The high court judge, by the request of Dr Davies, allowed his wife to be named in reports of the proceedings.