Gloria’s Law: Campaigning for the Right to a Care Supporter in Health and Care Services
Gloria’s Law campaigns for a legal right to a designated care supporter for people living in care settings, with the goal of ensuring in-person visits from at least one essential family member or friend. This would legally enforce visitation standards that maintain a person-centred focus on the individual being supported, rather than the inconsistent application of current guidelines and restrictions in some care settings. The campaign is named after campaigner Ruthie Henshall’s mother Gloria, who was living with dementia and restricted to only seeing her daughter through a care home window during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ruthie hopes to prevent the isolation of vulnerable people by ensuring in-person contact is a protected right.
The vital role contact with family and friends plays in the wellbeing of people we support has always been evident. However, the momentum behind Gloria’s Law has particularly grown following the introduction of new regulations for care homes in Scotland. On 31st March, the Scottish Government passed the Anne’s Law Code of Practice for care home services. It describes a series of legal regulations designed to strengthen the provision of a person-centred approach in Scottish care homes. This includes a duty of care on the part of the care homes to facilitate visits from people who are important to their residents, in order to maintain social connections and enrich their lives. Through the Anne’s Law reform, friends and family are now recognised as an integral part of care support plans, playing a key role as an ‘Essential Care Supporter’.
Anne’s Law was created following the difficult experiences many care home residents faced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, where prolonged visitation restrictions created widespread loneliness. Having meaningful connections and regular interactions with loved ones is essential to wellbeing, particularly where extra care and support is needed.
This Code of Policy was named by Natasha Hamilton, daughter of Anne Duke, a care home resident during the COVID-19 pandemic who sadly passed away in 2021. Natasha petitioned for the right for family carers to enter these settings and continue to provide support to their loved ones during extreme circumstances such as lockdowns. Crucially, visiting can now only be suspended in exceptional circumstances where it is essential to prevent a serious risk to life, health or wellbeing. Introducing these rights for ‘Essential Care Supporters’ will help prevent many care home residents from experiencing profound loneliness.
So often in the care sector, time is precious for the people we support and their loved ones. At Creative Support, our person-centred care champions the value of a regular network for each person we support, including friends and family, support workers, and external professionals. We hope the Scottish Government’s passing of Anne’s Law paves the way for a UK-wide policy like Gloria’s Law that recognises the value of support networks – not just in care homes but the entire care sector.