Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to update the guidance on visiting care home residents following the administering of the (a) first and (b) second dose of the covid-19 vaccine to (i) care home residents and (ii) their visitors.

We recognise how important it is to allow care homes residents to meet their loved ones safely, especially for those at the end of their lives. We appreciate the particular challenges visiting restrictions pose for people with dementia, people with learning disabilities and autistic adults, amongst others, as well as for their loved ones.

Guidance documents are informed by expert advice before publication to ensure that they are based on the latest evidence. As the COVID-19 vaccine deployment continues, we will review and update the care homes visiting guidance in line with the latest evidence.