Grieving west End star Ruthie Henshall has launched scathing attack on government guidelines arid car home visits after her mother passed away yesterday.

Gloria Henshall was being cared for at Spring Lodge, Woolverstone and Ruthie praised the staff at the care home but directed her anger at the guidance which prevented her and her sister Susan from visiting more, and how some care providers are still not allowing personal visits.

Ruthie took to Twitter to say: "My beautiful mummy Gloria passed away very peacefully early this morning. I managed to care for her for a few short weeks. It was my honour and my privilege.

"If the government had made their guidance law, my sisters would have seen her more than a couple of times before losing her. Even recently my sister Susan was doing window visits because she wasn't able to get an indoor visit for three weeks.

"Spring Lodge, the care home my mother was in, followed the guidance but still there are care home providers and managers that are not.

"It remains a postcode lottery. My sister Susan is angry and devastated that she only got two indoor visits before my mother died. This was completely and totally unnecessary. Utterly inhumane to these beautiful residents who are not really living much of a life still socially distanced as much as possible during the day and unable to have anything like meaningful visits with loved ones.

"This to me is a crime being committed. Without the guidance being law some care home providers are allowing an abuse of residents human rights to meaningful contact with their loved ones.

"I was Glorias essential care giver for her last weeks. I read to her, sang to her, cuddled her, fed her, massaged her hands and feet and told her I loved her at least 20 times a visit.

"Each time I hugged her she moaned with delight. All she had left was touch. She couldn't walk,talk or eat solid food. Just one essential care giver by law to every resident would give unlimited joy, love and peace of mind and take a huge strain off the brilliant carers who get paid mostly minimum wage.

"Shame on every government official and care home provider that decided to ignore residents' human rights and just batten down the hatches. You kept out love and hope.

"I am devastated. I hope it was worth the cost to keep them behind locked doors?"

Ruthie was also on BBC News this morning saying the government: "...should grow a pair."