Anne’s Law - Protecting the Right of Care Home Visiting (Amendment 2)
S6M-03492.2: As an amendment to motion S6M-03492 in the name of Jackie Baillie (Anne’s Law – Protecting the Right of Care Home Visiting), leave out from “understands” to end and insert “recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic uniquely necessitated difficult restrictions in care homes to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus that has proven deadly to the most vulnerable in society; further recognises that these restrictions have other impacts on the wellbeing of residents and that maintaining familial and social connections for care home residents can be vital to their wellbeing; welcomes that later this month the Scottish Government is bringing forward new statutory standards under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 to help ensure visitors can be involved in the care and support of their loved ones as the first step of introducing Anne’s Law, and notes that this will be further underpinned by Anne’s Law being part of the foundations of the new National Care Service, and that the legislation to deliver this is being introduced in the coming months.”

Original motion(S6M-03492):
That the Parliament understands that maintaining good social connections are crucial for the wellbeing and quality of life for residents in adult care homes; acknowledges that care homes have been unduly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thousands of residents have been repeatedly separated from their loved ones due to restrictions; regrets that the Scottish Government has not yet brought forward legislation to strengthen the rights of residents and their families so that relatives are recognised as care givers and residents have the right to see and spend time with the people who are important to them, and calls on the Scottish Government to urgently introduce legislation to implement Anne’s Law so no one has to again experience what Anne Duke and her family, alongside many other families, had to go through.