MPs write to Prime Minister requesting new legal right

18 October 2023

MPs have written to the Prime Minister, requesting that he take forward the Care Supporters Bill. This would give us all the right to at least one Care Supporter - a relative or friend who can be there with us when we’re using health and care services.

A cross-party coalition of MPs signed the letter, which states:

The last three years have taught us more than we ever want to know about the deeply damaging impact of separation and isolation in health and care settings. The support of a loved one is not an optional extra, it is a central part of dignified care.

Dan Carden MP tabled the Care Supporters Bill in June, which passed its first reading with unanimous support in the House of Commons. Second reading was scheduled for November but will now depend on backing from the Government, or the luck of the draw in a ballot, to keep it in the Parliamentary timetable.

Thank you to all our members and supporters who wrote to their MPs asking them to sign the letter. We will continue to keep the pressure on the Government to take this forward. It has the backing of almost 80 organisations, including care and health providers.

Read the letter to the Prime Minister in full. Find our more about our Rights For Residents campaign for a right to a Care Supporter and sign up to our newsletter to keep updated.