The Care Home Services (Visits to and by Care Home Residents) (Scotland) Regulations 2026: Anne's Law - code of practice 31 March 2026
'Anne’s Law’ describes a series of legal acts and regulations that give new duties to care homes to strengthen the rights of people living in adult care homes to see and spend time with people who are important to them. The code of practice explains how these duties should work day-to-day.
Chapter 2: Right to Visits
Having meaningful connection with family, friends and wider community is beneficial for physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. For care home residents, being able to make and receive visits is also key to maintaining their dignity. It is a fundamental human right. It is important for care homes to recognise and support the vital role that close relatives and friends play, alongside staff, in providing their loved ones with regular care, companionship, personal support and advocacy.
“If I was not able to do things like go out shopping with my mum or go to Costa to see my friends I would feel like a prisoner in my own home!
“Being able to get home to my mum’s, my dad’s or my sisters’ homes means that I can be with my family which is really important to me. If I couldn’t do that it would make me feel like I had lost my family.”
Hollie, Care home resident
Anne’s Law imposes duties on care homes to facilitate visits to and by care homes residents when requested. This ensures that care home residents have the right to connect with the people who are important to them, unless there is a serious risk to life, health or wellbeing.
Facilitating visits means supporting visits to happen, for example by:
- ensuring that a visitor can be received easily, including by accommodating their accessibility needs
- ensuring families and friends have information to support their visit
- contacting a family member or friend at a resident’s request, or supporting the resident to do so
- ensuring a person is supported to get ready for a trip out with a family member or friend
In general, there should be no restrictions on visits in or out of the care home. Care homes should not operate booking systems and should not normally impose limitations on the number of visitors or on the frequency, timing or duration of visits.
Providers do not have to be responsible for taking residents to or from visits, or for paying for residents to travel.
Visitors to residents in care homes should not visit if they are unwell with infectious symptoms or are under any self-isolation restrictions.
More support, information and examples of good practice for when care homes are developing their visiting and meaningful connection policy is in the Care Inspectorate’s Meaningful Connection Good Practice Guidance.