Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of care home visiting guidance in place at 25 January 2021; and whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of easing visiting restrictions as the Government ends Plan B restrictions.

The Department regularly reviews and assesses the effectiveness of COVID-19 guidance for care homes. We engage with partners, including the Care Quality Commission, representative organisations and care providers, to understand the impact and effectiveness of care home visiting guidance and inform any changes.

From 31 January 2022, there will be no limit on the number of visitors each resident can have and no additional testing or isolation for those visitors who go on a normal visit outside of the home. We will continue to ask care home residents to isolate following high-risk visits out for a maximum of 10 days rather than 14 days.