Anne's Law: Nicola Sturgeon urged by Scottish Labour to introduce rule to support people in care

The First Minister has been urged to implement a new law to allow family members to be recognised as carers in a bid to end the “preventable heartache” of being separated from loved ones in care homes.

Scottish Labour have called on Nicola Sturgeon to personally intervene to introduce Anne’s Law, which would give families the right to visit people in care homes following the “harm and trauma” caused by lockdowns implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

Anne’s Law is named after Natasha Hamilton’s mother, who launched a campaign to ensure one family member can be granted access to care homes regardless of lockdown rules.

The party will lead a debate on the issue at Holyrood on Wednesday.

Ahead of the debate, Labour’s health and social care spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: “Nowhere throughout our pandemic has there been greater or more costly failure than in Scotland’s care homes.

“The cost in human lives was tragic, and the suffering caused unimaginable.

“But care home residents and their families are still being failed.

“For months, as restrictions for the rest of the country eased, care homes remained under repeated lockdowns, causing harm and trauma for the residents and their families.

“Even now, residents who test positive are forced to isolate for a minimum of ten days, and homes with recorded cases are closed to most visitors for at least a fortnight.

“Heartbroken relatives and lonely residents have been subjected to rolling lockdowns, ending all contact between them for weeks on end.

“This cannot go on.

“It’s time for the First Minister to listen to relatives and care users and implement Anne’s law and end this preventable heartache.”