Publication of the Government’s review of CQC Regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices
On the 18th March, the Department of Health and Social Care has published the outcome of the review of CQC Regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices.
Meaningful contact with loved ones is a fundamental part of high-quality, person-centred care, and we know isolation can have a profound impact on individuals and families. That is why the Department is committed to strengthening visiting rights for people in health and care settings as part of our wider strategy to radically improve quality of care, join up services at a neighbourhood level and provide people with greater choice and control.
We undertook a review of Regulation 9A to understand what is working well and where further intervention might be needed. The review found that Regulation 9A has reinforced the principle that visiting is essential to care, clarified expectations for providers, reinforced best practice, prompted organisations to review their processes, and empowered families to challenge inappropriate blanket bans. However, the review also showed that Regulation 9A could go further in meeting its objectives. The gaps identified in effectiveness are best addressed by harnessing expertise and driving cultural changes to ensure that informed decisions are made and for swift resolution when challenges arise.
Our next steps build on the strong foundation of Regulation 9A and aim to raise awareness and understanding, support effective and consistent communication and decision making, improve data quality and intelligence sharing with CQC. CQC will act on the recommendations from this review to embed the changes into their work to improve regulation. We want to embed a culture of open visiting and clear decision making across health and social care, and alongside this work, the Department will continue to explore options for further strengthening visiting rights, when parliamentary time allows.
The report link: Review of CQC Regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices - GOV.UK
CQC provider guidance on Regulation 9A: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-9a
Thank you again for your support and for your contributions to the review.