Sample policy · Reg 9A

Visiting and Accompanying Policy

Statutory anchor: Regulation 9A (visiting and accompanying in care homes, hospitals and hospices), Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (SI 2014/2936). This policy also engages Regulation 10 (dignity and respect). · primary source

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Verivius pack version v1, 2026-06-10

1. What the regulation says

The primary source for visiting and accompanying is Regulation 9A. CQC guidance on Regulation 9A is the primary non-statutory source named for this topic.

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, service users ... whose care or treatment involves an overnight stay or the provision of accommodation ... must be facilitated to receive visits at those premises ... who are provided with accommodation in a care home, must not be discouraged from taking visits out of that care home ... who attend a hospital or hospice for the provision of care or treatment which does not involve an overnight stay, must be enabled to be accompanied at those premises by a family member, friend or a person who is otherwise providing support to the service user. (Reg 9A(2): the visiting duty)

The full text of the regulation is at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/regulation/9A. Where this policy and the regulation diverge, the regulation wins.

2. Plain-English summary

Service users staying overnight in a care home, hospital or hospice must be able to receive visits. Care home residents must not be discouraged from taking visits out. Outpatients at hospitals and hospices must be able to be accompanied by a family member, friend or supporter. Exceptional circumstances can override this, but the bar is high, and decisions must reflect the service user's consent (or, if they lack capacity, their best interests).

3. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to make sure that people using [Service Name] can receive visits, take visits out where applicable, and be accompanied to appointments where they want this and where Regulation 9A applies.

The starting point is that in-person visiting and accompaniment should be possible. Restrictions should be exceptional, individualised, lawful, legitimate, proportionate, least restrictive, recorded and reviewed.

4. Scope

This policy applies where [Service Name] carries on a relevant regulated activity in:

It applies to:

Regulation 9A does not apply to every regulated activity. CQC guidance identifies excluded activities including personal care, substance misuse accommodation and detox, blood and blood-derived product supply, transport services, triage, and medical advice provided remotely. Providers must check whether their service type is in scope before adopting this policy.

5. Policy warning

The service must not apply blanket bans on visiting or accompaniment.

The service must not discourage care-home residents from visits out through unreasonable processes, excessive isolation requirements, administrative barriers or informal pressure.

Any restriction must be based on individual assessment and exceptional circumstances. It must be recorded, explained, reviewed and removed as soon as it is no longer necessary.

6. Principles

The service will:

7. Responsibilities

The provider is responsible for ensuring that visiting and accompaniment arrangements are lawful, safe and rights-respecting.

The Registered Manager is responsible for implementing this policy, approving restrictions, reviewing decisions and ensuring records are complete.

Senior staff are responsible for supporting staff, assessing risk and escalating concerns.

All staff are responsible for helping people receive visits or be accompanied, and for reporting any restriction or concern.

8. Receiving visits

People staying in a care home, hospital or hospice must be supported to receive visits from people they want to see unless exceptional circumstances prevent this.

The service must consider:

The service must make visiting easy to arrange and must not create unnecessary obstacles.

9. Visits out of a care home

People living in a care home must not be discouraged from taking visits out of the care home.

The service must not impose unreasonable requirements that effectively stop or discourage visits out.

Where support is needed, the service must discuss:

This regulation does not require the provider to fund or resource every visit out, but the provider must not inhibit or discourage visits out through unreasonable rules.

10. Accompaniment to hospital or hospice appointments

Where a person attends a hospital or hospice appointment that does not require an overnight stay, the person must be enabled to be accompanied by a family member, friend, advocate or other support person if they want this.

The service must consider:

Accompaniment can help the person feel safer, communicate better and understand information.

11. Consent and wishes

The service must prioritise the wishes of the person using the service.

A person must not be required to receive a visit, take a visit out or be accompanied if they do not want this and have capacity for that decision.

Where the person lacks capacity for the relevant decision, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 must be followed and a best-interests decision made where required.

The record must show:

12. Mental capacity and lawful decision-making

Where capacity is in doubt, staff must assess capacity for the specific decision.

The service must consider whether the person can decide:

Where a person lacks capacity, decisions must be made in their best interests and be the least restrictive option.

Legal advice may be needed where there is serious dispute, restriction, court order, deprivation of liberty, safeguarding concern or family conflict. Any deprivation-of-liberty question is a separate legal matter and should be addressed through the Mental Capacity Act framework and, where needed, the Court of Protection, with legal advice.

13. Human rights and equality

The service must take a human-rights-based approach.

This includes considering:

Restrictions must be lawful, legitimate, proportionate and the least restrictive option.

14. Exceptional circumstances and restrictions

Restrictions should be exceptional.

Possible reasons may include:

Before restricting, the service must consider precautions and alternatives, such as:

15. No blanket restrictions

The service must not apply blanket restrictions, long-term bans or default exclusion rules.

Restrictions must be:

A general outbreak, staffing pressure or inconvenience does not automatically justify banning all visits or accompaniment.

16. End-of-life visiting

The service must always support in-person visiting where a person is receiving end-of-life care, unless there is a very serious and specific reason why this cannot safely happen.

End-of-life visiting must be handled with sensitivity, urgency and compassion.

The service should consider:

Restrictions at end of life must be escalated to the Registered Manager immediately.

17. Safeguarding and difficult visitor behaviour

The service must support visiting while protecting people from abuse, harassment, coercion or harm.

Where visitor behaviour creates concern, the service may need to:

Restrictions must be targeted at the risk and must not unnecessarily restrict other visitors.

18. Infection prevention precautions

Where infection prevention risk is present, the service must consider proportionate precautions before restricting visits.

Precautions may include:

Precautions must not become unnecessary barriers.

19. Communication

The service must communicate visiting and accompaniment arrangements clearly.

Information should be provided to:

Where restrictions are used, the service must explain:

Information must be accessible.

20. Records

The service must keep records of:

Records must show how the person's rights, wishes, safety and wellbeing were balanced.

21. Audit and governance

The Registered Manager must audit visiting and accompanying arrangements at least annually, and more often where restrictions have been used.

The audit must check:

Themes must be reviewed through governance.

22. Sources and further reading

This template is based on CQC's guidance for providers and managers, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, and other topic-specific legislation and guidance listed below. It is a starting point for adaptation, not a substitute for legal, clinical, HR, safeguarding or specialist professional advice.

23. When to seek further advice

Seek specialist advice where the issue involves serious harm, safeguarding, deprivation of liberty, restraint, children, professional misconduct, controlled drugs, radiation, termination of pregnancy, infection outbreak, water safety, employment dismissal, DBS barring referral, or regulatory enforcement. For this policy in particular, seek advice where the issue involves restricting visits, a serious family dispute, a court order, end-of-life exclusion, a person's refusal, a capacity dispute, an infection outbreak, violence, harassment or discrimination.

24. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner following a CQC finding, visiting restriction, complaint, safeguarding concern, infection outbreak, legal change, service model change or governance review.

25. Document control

Version Date Author Changes
v1 2026-06-10 Verivius (sample) Conformed new cross-cutting draft to the Verivius policy standard.

This sample policy template was issued by Verivius. It is a template, not a substitute for legal advice or the tenant's own policy-development process. Where this template and live law or regulator guidance diverge, the live source wins.

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Last reviewed 10 June 2026