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 if there is an outbreak of infectious disease. We have published guidance for care homes on how they must implement the two 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.  

What we expect care homes to do 

The Care Inspectorate’s job is to make sure services are delivering good-quality care and support that respects people’s rights, needs and wishes. That includes making sure care homes for adults and older people fully support visiting and connection.  

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.  

People living in care homes must be supported to stay connected to loved ones and 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 and take part in their community. Where this support is not happening, we can use our powers to ensure that it does.  

If you are interested more generally in what we expect care homes to deliver, our quality framework for care homes for adults and older people guides care home providers on what we look at when we inspect and the quality we expect from them.  

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. 

Good hand hygiene should always be followed, and you should not enter a care home if you 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 Scotland who experience care are increasingly relying on 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.     

What to do if you are unhappy 

If you feel your care home is not supporting visiting and connection in the right way, or have other concerns about standards of care, you can raise it in the first instance with the care home manager. This is often the quickest way to resolve a problem.  

However, if you remain concerned, you can tell us, and we will ensure concerns are addressed properly and in good time. Visit our complaints page to find out more. 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..