New right to maintain contact

(updated Jan 2023)

The Relatives & Residents Association is calling for a new legal right to be introduced, to ensure people can maintain contact with their family/friends across health and care settings. A coalition of over 30 organisations is supporting the call, in response to the severe, detrimental impact isolation from family and friends has caused.

The joint call for a new right has been sent to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care ahead of an event in the UK Parliament to discuss this on 9 March. People who have been affected by separation during the pandemic will travel to Westminster to talk to MPs about their personal experiences and why this new right is needed to prevent further harm. They will include R&RA Helpline clients.

R&RA’s members and supporters have been writing to their MPs, inviting them to attend the event. Dozens of Parliamentarians have already expressed their support for a new right, including Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, and Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts. The cross-party event is being co-chaired by Conservative MP Tracey Crouch and Labour MP Dan Carden.

A broad spectrum of organisations is supporting this call, including Mind, Mencap, Healthwatch England and Disability Rights UK. The new right would give anyone who needs care and support access to a ‘care supporter’ – a relative or friend who can help them wherever they need it, such as in hospitals, care homes or GP surgeries. The joint call has been coordinated by R&RA alongside campaign groups John’s Campaign and Rights For Residents.

Tracey Crouch MP, who will co-chair the event in Parliament, said:

“Over the past two years we’ve seen the devastating impact of people being isolated in health and care settings. We must recognise in law the crucial role family carers play in the lives of people in vulnerable situations. Access to a ‘care supporter’ should become a routine, key ingredient for good care, which one day any of us could need.”

Dan Carden MP said:

“We must learn the lessons of the past two years and guarantee the right to a ‘care supporter’ in hospitals and care homes. The Government has a moral duty to guarantee regular and safe visiting to ensure care home residents and hospital patients are not left behind.”

Helen Wildbore, director of R&RA, said:

“People who need care must never again be isolated from those most important in their lives. Relatives and friends are much more than just ‘visitors’, they are a lifeline and shouldn’t face a battle to be recognised as a vital part of the care team. A new right to a ‘care supporter’ is urgently needed to end the terrible harm caused by isolation now and for years to come.”

Download the joint call here

Find out more about R&RA’s campaign to End Isolation In Care here