Anne's Law and the Health and Social Care Standards consultations: What did you tell us? - Easy Read

Anne’s Law and the Health and Social Care Standards Consultation: What did you tell us? - Easy Read

What was the consultation about?

People worked hard to keep staff and care home residents safe in the coronavirus pandemic.

Care home residents are the people who live in the care home.

Many people in care homes were at risk because they are very weak or because they have very serious health conditions.

Keeping people safe sometimes meant residents could not see their loved ones as often as they would have liked.

This made people very worried and sad.

Being able to meet and mix with people and having things to do are important for the wellbeing and quality of life of people living in adult care homes.

Wellbeing means feeling comfortable, healthy and happy.

Guidance for care homes says that care homes should support people to connect with the people they love.

Care homes must make sure people are protected to do this safely.

Anne's Law happened because of a Care Home Relatives Scotland Petition.

A petition is a written request to ask an official or an organisation to do something.

Natasha Hamilton sent the petition to the Scottish Parliament because she could not see her mother Anne Duke for a long time during the pandemic.

Lots of people signed the petition because they agreed with what it wants to change.

The petition asked the Scottish Parliament to get the Scottish Government to allow a designated visitor into care homes to support loved ones.

Designated means someone you have chosen.

This would make sure people who live in adult care homes have rights to see and spend time with the people who are important to them.

There was a consultation to ask people what they thought about Anne's Law.

This report contains a summary of what people thought about Parts 1 and 2 of Anne's Law.

The information people gave us in the consultation will help us decide:

• what will be in the new law that will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament
• how to change the Health and Social Care Standards

A standard is a level of service that organisations should meet.

Who answered the consultation?

The consultation was mainly done online.

157 people and organisations answered Part 1.

284 people and organisations answered Part 2.

There were also 8 events in September and October.

What did people say in Part 1?

Part 1 was about changing the Health and Social Care Standards to support people living in adult care homes to stay connected to their family and friends.

This would support their health and wellbeing.

Nearly everyone agreed that people living in adult care homes should have the right to see and spend time with people who are important to them.

Many people said:

• their relatives in care homes were very sad and worried when they could not have visitors in the pandemic
• being able to have visitors is a human right

• there must be ways to make sure these restrictions do not happen again

Most people said:

• there should be a new Standard
• or the Standard we have just now should be made better

Some people thought we could do both these things.

Some people said that having visitors gives people in care homes a better quality of life.

It is their right to be able to communicate and connect with the people they love.

Not many people thought that nothing should be done.

People said that staff do not always follow the guidance for care homes.

Not all care homes followed the same advice.

Many people wanted there to be a law instead of guidance.

Many people thought that if visitors were limited to stop infections, then a named visitor should be welcomed by the care home.

The care home should help them to be fully involved in supporting the health and wellbeing of the person they visit.

Most organisations agreed with this if it was done safely.

Most people thought the Health and Social Care Standards should also happen in places like:

• hospitals
• supported housing
• and children's homes

Some people thought the Standards should be followed in all places where someone is living.

People said changes to the Health and Social Care Standards would make sure people living in care homes:

• had a better quality of life
• had their human rights protected
• would feel comfortable, healthy and happy

People said it was important to tell people about the Standards and how important they are.

People said the difficult things would be:

• making sure all care homes followed the standards
• making sure that infections were not brought into care homes
• some people might look to blame visitors if there are problems with infections

The risk of infection would be a lot less because:

• many people have had the vaccine
• there is more testing
• there is more Infection Prevention Control – this is the way organisations stop infections from spreading

What did people say in Part 2?

Part 2 was about making Anne's Law a Scottish law.

Nearly everyone agreed that people living in adult care homes should have the right to see and spend time with people who are important to them.

People said this would support residents to feel comfortable, healthy and happy.

Most people thought that the right should be for both residents and visitors.

Some organisations that answered had worries about adult protection.

Adult protection means keeping adults at risk safe from harm.

Some organisations thought there could be risks if some visitors might be too controlling.

People said the good things about Anne's Law being a Scottish law were:

• it would give residents a better quality of life
• it would mean that family members could support care home staff by doing some caring tasks like feeding or washing

Many visitors did this before the pandemic.

Some people said the restrictions had been very difficult for residents with dementia to understand.

People said the difficult things would be:

• making sure staff and families and friends followed the rules
• some people might look to blame visitors if there are problems with infections
• it could be more expensive for the care homes

People said risks were:

• people might understand the rules in different ways
• it could bring infection into the home

Many people thought this was a very small risk because of most people have had the vaccine and there is more testing.

Most people thought the most important thing was to make sure residents had their rights.

Most people thought Anne's Law should happen in other places.

Some people suggested it could happen in places like:

• hospitals
• supported housing
• and children's homes

Some people thought Anne's Law should happen in all places where someone is living.

People said it was important that Anne's Law becomes a Scottish law as soon as possible.