Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on hospital patients with dementia of the recent bans on family visits as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Visits are not banned for hospital patients with dementia. The guidance on visiting in inpatient settings during the COVID-19 period has consistently been that there should be reasonable adjustments to allow certain groups of people, including people with dementia, to have a family member or friend visit them if not being present would cause the patient to be distressed. This applies to all inpatient settings.
The Government has made no formal assessment of the effect on hospital patients with dementia of hospital visiting policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health, safety and wellbeing of patients, communities and individuals and teams remain an absolute priority. We are working hard to develop guidance to ensure people are able to visit their families and friends safely.