People’s rights to meaningful connection with others 

Connecting with others is essential to everyone’s health and wellbeing and forms part of our human rights. Every adult and older person living in a care home has the right to connect with family, friends and community. They have the right to have visits and to go out if they wish. Care homes should support this and should not put any barriers or restrictions in place.  

Scotland’s Health and Social Care Standards set out what people should expect when using health, care or social work services. In 2022, two new Standards were introduced that cover the right to visit even when there is an outbreak of infectious disease. We have published guidance for care homes on how they must implement the new Standards.  

The Scottish Government intends to introduce Anne’s Law as a means of strengthening people’s rights.  

We have produced a poster which informs people about their rights and would encourage services to display this.  

Guidance on what we expect from care homes 

People living in care homes must be supported to stay connected to loved ones and to take part in their community if they wish. We advise care homes on good practice that supports people to stay connected with their loved ones, have visits and take part in their community. Where this support is not happening, we can use our powers to ensure it does. Everyone will have their individual needs and preferences for connection with others, and this should be included in personal planning so that everyone is supported to connect in the ways that are right for them. 

We expect care homes to support visiting and we have published a factsheet which explains how visiting should be supported in normal and exceptional circumstances.  

More generally, our quality framework for care homes for adults and older people can be used by care home providers in conjunction with the self-evaluation guide and self-assessment tools to review and assess the quality of service they are delivering. Ourmeaningful connection self-evaluation tool has been designed to help providers evaluate how they are doing in terms of supporting meaningful connection for people experiencing care and identify any areas where they want to improve.  

We are on hand to advise and support any care home looking to improve visiting and connection. If you are a provider or manager, please contact your inspector. 

How visiting and going out should normally work 

We expect people who live in care homes to be able to see their visitors at any time and without restriction. This includes outings from the home. Children and pets should be welcome to visit. 

Care homes should not operate booking systems or restrict when people can visit or go out. Visitors should not have to give notice, and visits and outings should not have a time limit.  Visitors should be able to access the home easily and without unnecessary delay. 

Family carers should be included as partners in care, and should be able to be directly involved in supporting their loved one with day-to-day care if this is what they both want. 

Standard infection control precautions should always be followed, and visitors should not enter a care home if they are potentially infectious with any illness.  

What happens in exceptional circumstances? 

In exceptional circumstances, there may be restrictions to visiting. Any restriction must be robustly risk assessed and must be for the minimum possible period. Restrictions should as non-invasive and non-intrusive as possible, and normal visiting must resume as soon as possible. In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, temporary restrictions on visiting may be required. These are overseen by the local Health Protection Team in dialogue with the care home manager, and will be kept under frequent review. 

People experiencing care still have the right to have in-person visits from nominated relatives/ friends. People visiting the home may be requested to follow additional infection prevention and control precautions. 

The care home should ensure that information about any temporary restrictions, along with the expected duration of restrictions, is clearly communicated to all relevant people.  

Technology and meaningful contact 

People in Scotlandwho experience care are increasingly using digital connectivity and technology to support their wellbeing and daily activities, however, we recognise this may not meet needs for everyone.  We have published a practice guide for care services on how technology and digital devices can be used to make a positive impact on health and wellbeing for people experiencing care.     

Support and advice 

The Care Inspectorate is here to support all care services to improve. For support and advice, contact your inspector who will be happy to explore issues and solutions with you. You can also contact the Meaningful Connection, Visiting and Anne’s Law project team directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..   

Health and social care partnerships are responsible for social care provision across local areas and may be able to provide practical advice and guidance to help services support better outcomes for people experiencing care. Each health and social care partnership is unique, so we advise contacting the partnership that covers your service location to understand what support you can access.    

Whistleblowing 

If you work in social care and want information about how to raise a concern about your workplace, visit our webpage on whistleblowing.