Care homes breaching human rights with blanket bans on visits, MPs say

Cross-party committee calls for new law to protect right to family life

Some care homes have been imposing blanket bans on visits (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The government should make it illegal for care homes to impose blanket bans on visits in the name of Covid-19, a cross party group of MPs has said.

MPs on parliament’s human rights committee said it was “completely unacceptable” for care homes to deny residents access to their families even when risks were low, and said the approach breached human rights.

The committee has drawn up a draft statutory instrument that would change the law around visits and secure legal protection to ensure elderly residents are not left isolated.