Anne's Law - code of practice: easy read
Easy read summary of the Anne’s Law Code of Practice. Anne’s Law gives care home providers new duties related to visiting. The Code of Practice explains how these duties should work day-to-day.
Chapter 2: Rights to Visits
Ensuring Meaningful Connection
Having meaningful connection is important for our health and wellbeing.
Meaningful connection includes all the relationships and things we have that add value and meaning to our life.
This could be:
- our families
- our friends
- people who support us
- pets
- where we live
- the things that are important to us
For people who live in a care home it is important that they are able:
- to have people visit them
- to visit people and places outside of their care home
This is essential to support their dignity.
Dignity is respecting a person and treating them fairly.
It is an essential human right.
It is important that care homes recognise and support the essential role family members and friends have alongside staff in providing:
- care
- company
- personal support
- advocacy for their loved ones
Advocacy is when someone is helped to feel heard and make decisions about their life.
New duties under the Act
Anne’s Law says that care home providers must do certain things. These are called duties.
Care home providers must facilitate visits to and by people living in care home.
Facilitating visits means supporting visits to happen, for example by:
- making sure that a visitor can visit easily, including making sure it is accessible
- ensuring families and friends have information to support their visit
- contacting a family member or friend when asked, or supporting a person living in a care home to contact them
- supporting a person living in a care home to get ready for a trip out with a family member or friend
This includes ensuring that people living in care homes can connect with the people who are important to them, unless there is a serious risk to life, health or wellbeing.
Care homes should have a visiting policy. They should think about the guidance in the Anne’s Law Code of Practice when writing their policy.
Care Homes do not have to be responsible for:
- taking residents to visits outside of the care home
- collecting residents from visits
They also do not have to arrange or pay for residents to travel outside of the care home.
Normally, there should be no restrictions on visits in or out of the care home.
And care homes should not have booking systems. They should not limit:
- the number of visitors a person living in a care home can have
- when a person can visit or how long the visit is
Visitors should not visit the care home if:
- they are unwell with infectious symptoms
- under any self-isolation restrictions
More support, information and examples of good practice when considering care home visits is in the Care Inspectorate’s Meaningful Connection Good Practice Guidance.