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Written question asked by Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 10 July 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 July 2025. It was answered by Stephen Kinnock (Labour) on Wednesday, 23 July 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Carers

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce legislation to facilitate a right to a Care Supporter for people in care settings.

Answer

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Fundamental Standard on Visiting and Accompanying (Regulation 9A) came into force on 6 April 2024 to strengthen requirements for CQC registered care homes, hospitals, and hospices to facilitate visiting, unless there are exceptional circumstances which mean that it is not safe to do so. This can be a visit from a family member, a friend, or a person visiting to provide companionship or support, for example, a care supporter.

In April 2025, we launched a review of the CQC’s Regulation 9A to assess whether the legislation has been effective in addressing concerns about visiting in health and care settings. Depending on the outcome of the review, we will consider whether further action is needed.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
66805
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Care homes Carers
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk