Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 15 April 2026.
Dan Carden
Labour, Liverpool Walton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will outline a timeline for legislative proposals to guarantee visiting rights of family and friends of vulnerable people in health and social care settings.
Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining meaningful contact between people receiving care and their family and friends. Care Quality Commission Regulation 9A places a legal duty on health and social care providers to facilitate visiting, and on 18 March 2026 the Government announced plans to further strengthen visiting rights. We are exploring options for legislative changes that promote the importance of family and carers as equal partners in care as part of wider reform work, when parliamentary time allows.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England and it is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements.
