Government to legally make visiting a part of care
- Government announces proposed legislation on visiting in health and care settings
- New regulations will make visiting a legal requirement for hospitals, care homes, mental health units and other health and care settings
- Care regulator will have new powers to make sure providers are allowing families to visit loved ones.
People in care homes and hospitals will be able to have visitors in all circumstances, thanks to the government’s plans to bring forward new legislation.
Health and care settings should be allowing visits, according to the guidance from the government and NHS England currently in place, but there are reported cases where visiting access is being unfairly denied.
As a result, the government is seeking views from patients, care home residents, their families, professionals and providers on the introduction of secondary legislation on visiting restrictions.
The new legislation will strengthen rules around visiting, providing the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with a clearer basis for identifying where hospitals and care homes are not meeting the required standard.
The government recognises the contribution that visiting makes to the wellbeing and care of patients attending hospitals, and residents of care homes, as well as the emotional wellbeing of their families and so is seeking views on what the new rules will look like.
For health settings, regulations will be reviewed in both inpatient and outpatient settings, emergency departments and diagnostic services in hospitals, to allow patients to be accompanied by someone to appointments.
