Care Home Visiting Restrictions Guidance
COVID-19 Inquiry · Module 6: Care Sector · Issued 20 October 2026 · Addressed to: Department of Health and Social Care
Government responseWelsh Government: No response yet (Oct 2026)Scottish Government: No response yet (Oct 2026)Northern Ireland Executive: No response yet (Oct 2026)
DeliveryNo statement from Department of Health and Social Care found
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive should publish guidance for the implementation of visiting restrictions in care homes in a future pandemic.
The guidance should be led by the following core principles:
Measures applied should be the least restrictive possible, both in terms of severity and the length of time for which they apply.
Residents should have the right to in-person visitors, except in the most grave or exceptional of circumstances.
Restrictions should be decided upon and applied at the most local level possible, based on local risk assessments and considering individual circumstances.
Communications with the public, care home residents and loved ones must clearly explain the measures in place and their purpose.
People who work in and use social care should be closely involved in developing this guidance.
COVID-19 Inquiry, Module 6: Care Sector · 20 Oct 2026 Source PDF →
Government response
●Welsh Government · No response yet · 20 Oct 2026
No formal government response published. The Welsh Government had not published a response to the Module 6 report of 20 October 2026 when its page of responses to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry module reports on GOV.WALES was checked on 20 October 2026.
●Scottish Government · No response yet · 20 Oct 2026
No formal government response published. The Scottish Government had not published a response to the Module 6 report of 20 October 2026 when its collection of responses to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on gov.scot was checked on 20 October 2026.
●Northern Ireland Executive · No response yet · 20 Oct 2026
No formal government response published. The Northern Ireland Executive had not published a response to the Module 6 report of 20 October 2026 when the Executive Office's publications list was checked on 20 October 2026.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Department of Health and Social Care has been found in the sources searched. This is separate from the response above.
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