Ashley Dalton

Thank you, Ms Butler, for chairing this important debate at such short notice, and I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton (Dan Carden) for securing it. The Minister for Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Aberafan Maesteg (Stephen Kinnock), has asked me to pass on his apologies; he is unable to represent the Government in this debate as he is currently in session on the Mental Health Bill Committee. However, he joins me in thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Walton not only for securing this debate, but for all the work he has done in advocating for relatives and friends to have the right to visit care home residents and patients in hospitals and hospices. I also thank all those who have shared their personal stories and those who are in the Public Gallery today. I can say without hesitation that the Minister for Care and I agree with my hon. Friend on the importance of visiting in care settings. Contact with family and friends is a crucial part of a person’s care. Indeed, there is evidence that supporting people to be actively involved in their own care, treatment and support can improve outcomes and experiences for people receiving care. No one should be denied reasonable access to visitors when they are in a care home, a hospital, or a hospice. That includes receiving assistance from a care supporter or simply going for a walk with a family member or friend. Before the covid-19 pandemic care homes, hospitals and hospices set visiting policies based on their specific local circumstances. During the pandemic, restrictions on visiting were implemented to prevent the spread of covid-19. Those restrictions were in response to clinical advice and were designed to protect people living in care or in hospital, who were often among the most vulnerable to the virus. Visiting and accompanying is one of the fundamental standards against which the Care Quality Commission assesses quality of care. The Government recognise how important visiting is for the health and wellbeing of residents in care homes and patients in hospitals and hospices. We have monitored the position since the new fundamental standard was introduced in 2023. We know that the majority of health and care providers are facilitating visits and recognise their importance. The capacity tracker, a digital tool where adult social care providers self-report data, shows that 99.3% of care home providers are facilitating visits. That figure has been stable since September 2022. However, we also know that there are times when it is necessary for movement in and out of care settings to be temporarily restricted.