Call for evidence outcome

Review of CQC Regulation 9A: visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices (easy read)

From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Published
15 July 2025
Last updated
10 April 2026 — See all updates

Applies to England

This call for evidence has closed

Read the full outcome

Our report on the rules about visiting people in care services - Regulation 9A

PDF, 3.83 MB, 18 pages

Detail of outcome

In 2024, the government made some new rules to make sure that everyone who is in a care home, hospital or hospice can have people visit them.

Last year we asked lots of people what they thought about the new rules.

We found that the new rules have helped lots of care services do the right thing about visitors. But some things still need to be better, like:

  • what information the Department of Health and Social Care collects
  • making sure people know and understand the rules
  • being clear about how decisions are made
  • how care services tell people when they cannot visit
  • making the difference between general visitors and care supporters clearer
  • how we check that the rules are followed

In the outcome booklet on this page, you can read more about:

  • what we found out
  • what we will do to change how people think and act so everyone follows the new rules

Original call for evidence

Summary

We want to hear your views about the new rules on visiting care homes, hospitals and hospices. Your views will help the government to decide if the rules are working or if they could be better.

This call for evidence ran from
to

Call for evidence description

Last year, the government made some new rules to make sure that everyone who is in a care home, hospital or hospice can have people visit them.

Your answers to the questions in this survey will help the government to know whether the new rules have worked, or if the rules could be better.

In this call for evidence, we refer to care homes, hospitals and hospices as ‘care services’.

This call for evidence is for:

  • people who use care services
  • carers
  • people who visit care services
  • people who work for care services
  • organisations representing any of the people above

Your answers need to be about care services in England.

Follow the ‘Respond online’ link in the ‘Ways to respond’ box below to tell us your ideas.

Or you can print the survey and post your answers to:

Department of Health and Social Care
ASC Visiting and Health Protection Policy
6th Floor
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU

This call for evidence was also published as a non-easy read, which has now closed.

Documents

Rules about visiting people in care services (Regulation 9A) - information booklet

PDF, 3.16 MB, 17 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@dhsc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Rules about visiting people in care services (Regulation 9A) - survey

PDF, 2.43 MB, 51 pages

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email publications@dhsc.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Updates to this page

Published 15 July 2025
Last updated 10 April 2026 show all updates

  1. Added outcome to call for evidence.

  2. First published.

Sign up for emails or print this page