Cruel care home visiting ban is finally outlawed

Victory for campaigners as watchdog is ordered to act

- Giles Sheldrick

A WATCHDOG has been ordered to ensure a three-year visiting ban for sick and vulnerable patients and care residents ends.

The Care Quality Commission branded "toothless" by despairing families locked out as relatives died in homes and hospitals - will be charged with making access freely available.

It ends a scandal sparked by the eruption of the pandemic in 2020.

The move comes after a grassroots crusade led by actress Ruthie Henshall and backed by the Daily Express.

Despite calls and a succession of Parliamentary debates, the Government has refused to legislate.

But care minister Helen Whately has told the CQC to make patient and care home resident visits a fundamental standard across all regulated settings.

Treatment