Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department (a) is taking to ensure that care home providers follow his Department's visiting guidance and (b) may take where family visits for care home residents are not allowed.

The Government’s guidance states that every resident should be able to have at least one visitor in all circumstances. If individuals experience any issues regarding visiting, they should follow the care home providers complaints procedure. If needed, the complaint can be escalated to the local authority, Social Care Ombudsman or the Care Quality Commission. We are reviewing a range of options to avoid instances where residents are unable to receive visitors.