 The next item of business is a debate on motion 3492, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on ancillal protecting the rights of care home visiting. Any member who wishes to participate, could they please press the request-to-speak buttons now or as soon as possible? I put an R in the chat function and I call on Jackie Baillie to speak to him about the motion for around six minutes, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. The 24th of March will mark two years since Scotland entered its first day of lockdown. Those were some of the hardest days many of us have had to face and those of us who had family or friends to isolate with were the lucky ones. Even then, for many people, the weight of lockdown was huge. We did this because it was necessary, because it saved lives and because it was the right thing to do. Since then, over 4.4 million adults in Scotland have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and the number of patients in intensive care units with the virus has significantly decreased. Football and rugby stadiums are now packed again with spectators and nightclubs and hospitality venues can operate without restriction. We can meet with friends to socialise and families can gather to celebrate milestones once again, so lockdown appears to be a distant memory. Yet care home residents continue to face some of the severest restrictions. People living in those homes continue to be the forgotten victims of the pandemic under this Scottish Government. For the past two years, adults living in care homes in Scotland have been isolated from their friends and their families. For them, those hard days of separation are the reality and the lack of urgency shown by the Government to address this prolongs their suffering. In November 2020, Natasha Hamilton brought a petition to this Parliament to ensure that family members could be granted access to relatives in care homes regardless of lockdown levels. Natasha's mum was Ann Duke, who was herself in a care home, and Ann's family showed remarkable bravery in exposing the struggle that too many families had to endure—the isolation, the loneliness, the toll that it was taking on mental and physical health. That story was echoed by people in my constituency and let me share with you a quote from one of them. Every day we are separated means that my mother's wellbeing deteriorates. The restrictions in care homes are too severe, inhumane and have been in place too long. Let's look at the contrast. If any of us tested positive, we are told to isolate for seven days. In care homes, that is 10 days. If you are a close contact and triple vaccinated, you do not need to isolate, but if you are in a care home, it is 10 days. If you are in a household with Covid, there are no restrictions, but a care home closes for 14 days. The reality is that this means rolling lockdowns and restricted visiting. Donald MacAskill of Scottish Care has said that such extended periods of isolation are unacceptable, disproportionate, unnecessary and hugely damaging. I thank Jackie Baillie for giving way and, while absolutely recognising the disparities between isolation periods, for example, in care homes and in the general public, I can ask Jackie Baillie if she is asking us to reduce those isolation periods. What clinical advice has she received and would she publish that or forward that to the Government so that we could look to see that if that is her case in point? I will quote the First Minister to you in one second so that you might want to listen. But almost one year on from the Scottish Parliament elections, when the SNP vowed to deliver Anne's law for care home residents, the position is largely unchanged from what I have just described. As of 14 February, 92.3 per cent of care home residents in Scotland had received three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, making those continuing restrictions hard to justify. There is no vaccine for loneliness and isolation. Time and time again, the Scottish Government has implemented restrictions and regulations and have not acted with the same speed when the restrictions are no longer required and when they know that there is real harm caused to people in care homes being separated from their loved ones. The First Minister herself has correctly stated that lateral flow tests are 99 per cent accurate. We should trust and use the science. Staff undertake 12-hour shifts based on a negative lateral flow test. Why cannot relatives visit on that basis? They do not interact with large numbers of residents, as the staff do. They do not work across the care home, so there is little risk of widespread transmission. This is an easy change to deliver. Relatives need to be recognised as caregivers. They are as important, if not more so, to the wellbeing of the person in the home. Let's make use of lateral flow tests to open up access. Let's trust the science that the First Minister herself referenced. Scottish Labour has been forced to bring this debate forward today to demand answers and action. For those at the end of their lives, every single day counts. The cabinet secretary would do well to listen. The SNP-Green coalition cannot continue to drag its heels on strengthening residents' rights. They have the power to do this now. The Government's own record shows that updated restrictions have left 21 per cent of care homes likely to be operating under severe restrictions, and yet Ann's law is only discussed when prompted by other MSPs. That is a matter of basic human rights. It is an opportunity to do the right thing for care home residents who so often, over the past two years, have been let down. It cannot be right that life goes on for the majority whilst others continue to suffer. All parties support early legislation, and I would urge the minister to give a clear timetable for bringing this to Parliament so that care home residents can enjoy the same freedoms as the rest of us. In closing, the two-year anniversary of the pandemic, as it approaches, will cause us all to reflect. It will be reminded to appreciate small freedoms, such as a cup of tea with family or lunch with friends. Let's not forget that, for some, those small freedoms are still out of reach. The Scottish Government must act, and they must act now. Thank you, Ms Bailey. I think that you need to move the motion. Am I moving the motion in my name? Thank you very much indeed. We are very tight for time, so members will have to stick to their allotted times. I call on Kevin Stewart to speak to a move amendment 3492.2 for five minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I move the amendment in my name, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate today. People living in care homes and their love ones are undoubtedly among those hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. While action had to be taken to ensure that people in care homes were protected, I completely understand the distress caused for people separated from those folks that are most important to them. I thank care home residents, loved ones and staff for their steadfast commitment that they have made and continue to make during the pandemic to keep themselves and each other safe. Restricting care home visiting early on has been one of the hardest decisions that we as a Government have had to take. Throughout the pandemic, we have sought views and experiences of families with loved ones on the impact of visiting restrictions. I am very close to that issue, and rightly so. I ensure that I see all correspondence on visiting, and I always respond personally. I have huge empathy with the people who have experienced separation and loss—I will do it in a minute—and many of the stories of separation are quite frankly heartbreaking. I will give way to Mr Cole-Hamilton. I am very grateful to the minister for giving away. He recognises the anxiety and the stress felt by staff and families in our care homes. Does he recognise that despair exists to this day, that care home manager in my constituency wrote to me asking the Government to stop testing so that they would have to stop bringing back in restrictions? What does he say to those staff and families who believe that, while all of society is being released from lockdown, care homes are not? I have to say to Mr Cole-Hamilton that I do not quite get his point there because I may have picked him up wrong. Jackie Baillie is right that we should be testing, and you are saying stop testing, which I do not quite get. If I can come to Jackie Baillie's point, visitors can visit even during outbreaks, and we have made that quite clear, and we will go further in all of that. Visitors are tested already. I would welcome any clinical advice that Jackie Baillie has on those issues because that may help us to counter some of the advice that we are getting. I have a lot to go through. Our name visitor guidance was introduced last year as a first step towards implementing the changes that we all believe are necessary. That emphasises that care homes should always support visiting, even in an outbreak situation, unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. The Scottish Government expects care homes and local health protection teams to embed our guidance. As the strategic framework outlines, people living in care homes should be supported to enjoy the filled, meaningful lives free from restrictions as far as possible. My officials in collaboration with the care inspectorate are focused on working with the sector to ensure care homes support visiting and work constructively with those that are not. I really do not have time. I have a lot to say, and I will give way maybe later. I would like to thank care home staff and health protection teams, who have tirelessly worked to facilitate regular indoor visiting in over 90 per cent of care homes. Those efforts to maximise visiting and adopt the aims of Anne's law ahead of any new measures show a welcome consensus across the sector. The development of Anne's law follows a care home relative Scotland petition on rights for residents to see their loved ones lodged by Natasha Hamilton, who was unable to see her mother for prolonged periods during the height of the pandemic. Her mother is, of course, Anne Duke, who has now sadly passed away. We fully supported the petition, and I am pleased to say that there was cross-party support. In September of last year, we made the commitment in our programme for government to strengthen residents' rights and bring in Anne's law. Given the needs to move quickly and effectively to ensure that legal rights can be instituted and, importantly, enforced, we have chosen to deliver that through strengthening the health and social care standards, using legal powers under the Public Sector Reform Act and to further strengthen rights through primary legislation. As members will be aware, any changes to legislative powers requires us to consult, so later in September we launched two linked public consultations to seek views on the preferred options for implementation. We have now received the analysis of those consultations, responses that came in from individuals, including families, and a wide range of organisations, including care home providers. The independent analysis showed that there was considerable support for the approach of introducing Anne's law by strengthening the health and social care standards and then introducing primary legislation, and we published that analysis only last week on 2 March. I thank everyone who took the time to submit their responses. Given the support for those proposals, there is no need to undertake further time-consuming legislative processes such as SSIs to make change happen. I can announce today that, using the legal powers under the Public Service Reform Act, we will bring forward, by the end of the month, those two new-strengthened statutory care standards, which will ensure that visitors can be involved in the care and support of their loved ones and provide a strong emphasis on helping residents and their families to remain connected. Finally, that also means that the care inspectorate under their existing legal powers will now have a strengthened role to ensure that those new standards are implemented and, more important, upheld. The care inspectorate is committed to that work and, to augment that, we will provide further support and a dedicated resource to enhance the care inspectorate's role in supporting residents. You now need to conclude, Minister. You are well over time. I will say more about primary legislation in my summing up. Thank you very much indeed, Minister. I now call on Craig Hoy to speak to a move amendment 3492.1 for five minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank Jackie Baillie for bringing forward this important debate before Parliament today. It is just over two years since Covid arrived on Scotland's shores. Two years since fears ran through our communities, two years since schools were shuttered, some businesses were forced to close, nearly two years since elderly and vulnerable care home residents were isolated from their families, losing their lifelines and often losing access to someone who addressed their core care needs, losing the cup of tea, the bit of chitchat, which brought to life the family photos by their bedside. They were shut out from this vital support for months on end and the purpose of Anne's law is to ensure that this never happens again. Closing residents in care in their home was, in the words of Natasha Hamilton, a human tragedy. As we have heard, Natasha's mum and Duke was one of those who could not secure the comfort of their loved ones during the pandemic. A former care home therapist who passed away aged 63 last November was cut off from her devoted family whilst battling early onset dementia. This prompted Natasha to launch a petition for Anne's law, a petition that made its way to this Parliament. Deputy Presiding Officer, sadly many people did not live long enough to see their loved ones one last time, or they did through a window or at a distance, or sometimes from behind screens and hazard tape. Our care homes bore the brunt of this pandemic and it has been heartbreaking for their families. Over the last two years, many lessons have been learned and the path ahead looks far less bleak thanks to the vaccine and accurate and widespread testing. However, there are still lessons to be learned, there are restrictions to be lifted and questions to be answered. Fundamentally, there are practical steps such as Anne's law to be implemented. Although we fully accept Labour's motion and we warmly support it, we propose an amendment today. We seek a commitment to explore and no more than that, the possible extension of Anne's law to include other settings such as community and cottage hospitals where care is given. I won't, because I'm short on time, I'm afraid. We do not accept or we are skeptical of the SNP's amendment, which is yet more dither and delay, notwithstanding what the minister has announced. We must recognise that when it comes to Anne's law, the ball is at the minister's foot, he is within the penalty box and the goal of delivering Anne's law is right there. So why, then, is he, as the SNP too often does, kicking this into the long grass? I must carry on. Today's debate is not about the reasons as to why so many died in our care homes. That will be for Lady Poole's public inquiry to determine, but we do know that the common wheel described the situation in our care homes as possibly the single greatest failure of devolved government since the creation of the Scottish Parliament. Deputy Presiding Officer, families need closure so that they can properly moan those who passed, and Anne's law could help them to move on and help them to remember those who died. We should also remember today the heroic efforts of staff who work in the social care sector, those who were often there when residents passed away. In the early days of the pandemic, Covid was indiscriminately ripping through care homes, killing our friends and family members, and, during the early stages of the pandemic, steps were understandably being taken to protect staff and residents from infection. Many staff struggled accessing PPE. Staff went to work knowing whether they would return home infected with Covid, and they formed small armies of infection control, but the decision to prevent all access to care homes created what has been described as potentially dangerous closed institutions—institutions where families could not act as the eyes and ears of homes and residents, leading public health experts back at Anne's law, and they recognised the care that they will give. In its consultation, the Government was clear in its objectives to recognise that families and friends play an essential role in the health and wellbeing of people who live in those homes. It also has an admission that prolonged isolation from family and friends is likely to be detrimental to the welfare of residents. All that campaigners are seeking is to ensure that people who live in adult care homes have rights to see and spend time with the people who are important to them and often who care for them. As Natasha Hamilton said, there is no silver bullet for Covid. We need to learn to live with it, and that cannot mean separating families. That is to screw and barbaric. Anne's husband, Duke, is a retired social worker. Before Covid, he previously spent 40 hours per week by his wife's bedside at her care home in East Kilbride. Speaking before Anne died, he said that families need each other more than ever, but they are being let down. What he said, we need is for human rights of care home residents to be guaranteed in emergency legislation. I believe that he said that there would be a majority in Parliament for this. I believe that there is a majority in this Parliament for Anne's law, and it is clear that now is the time to act. I move the amendment in my name. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Hoy. I now call on Alex Cole-Hamilton for in four minutes. I am very grateful to Jackie Baillie for bringing this debate to Parliament and for her unconditional support. We stand full square behind Labour in their quest to see this law brought through Parliament. The late American author and Professor Leo Buschallia once reminded us that, too often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Perhaps we often underestimate the power of simply being able to hold someone's hand and to give them a hug, and in some cases, at the end of their lives, to kiss them goodbye. However, during the pandemic, the absence of this simple and carefree human contact with loved ones was felt acutely by thousands of care home residents in Scotland, and it sadly continues as we speak. As the Government website itself states, visiting is an integral part of care home life and has a vital role to play in maintaining the mental and physical health and quality of life of residents. It is also crucial for family and friends to maintain contact with their loved ones and to contribute in their own way to their own care. An Age UK survey during the pandemic attempted to record the toll that the pandemic has taken on those living in care homes and their families. Presiding officers, the responses were heartbreaking. One respondent said, I feel as though I have locked my parents away and thrown the key away. Another said, time that can never be retrieved. I don't want mum to die without family. I think she has always dreaded and I promise would not happen. I've spoken to many of my own constituents whose loved one appeared or have been in care homes during the pandemic. Presiding officers, people want to be safe. They want desperately to protect their loved ones, but many felt and still feel that the balance between protecting loved ones from the virus and also maintaining regular and vital contact was not struck. I certainly will from Monica Lennon. I'm grateful to Alex Cole-Hamilton. Several times in the minister's speech he talked about visitors, he didn't talk about family caregivers and I think Alex Cole-Hamilton has recognised the important contribution that people like Campbell Duke, Natasha Hamilton who are in this building today listening to every word. They are not visitors, they are family caregivers. Does Alex Cole-Hamilton agree? Alex Cole-Hamilton. I'm very grateful for the intervention. I absolutely agree. To clarify my own intervention to the minister, we are shutting people like that out of our care homes. Right now, the care home manager who got in touch asks that we end testing, not because she was cavalier about the virus but because she couldn't abide the restrictions coming in again and again and blocking these people from offering the care that they do. How we've dealt with care homes over the course of the pandemic has been staggering. The virus takes hold in Scotland. People, as it started to in the foothills of this virus, people with coronavirus were moved from hospital into those homes, causing deaths of many. Contrast that with the latter stages of the pandemic when, as we've heard countless times, people were triple vaccinated, many people were still prevented from visiting their loved ones in some cases during the last days and weeks of their life when they needed them the most. This was demonstrably and startling tragically the cases that we've heard many times about and who this law is named in honour of. So my party wholeheartedly support the motion in the name of Jackie Baillie. It's vital that the Scottish Government does bring forward this legislation or we do it through private members' process instead. I'd like to finish if I may. In the words of Anne's husband, in a letter, he penned following Anne's death. For seven months, he said, they literally kept us from being with you. You endured the humiliation of being viewed outside from two metres when you needed and required close touching and hugging and someone close enough to whisper, I love you. It is my sincere hope that the Government listened both to Anne's and to councillor's, countless other heartbreaking stories and makes the changes necessary to ensure that no one is ever again denied the right to be with those they love, to simply hold their hand, to kiss their chief and to give them a hug. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Cole-Hamilton. We now move to the open debate and the first speaker is Paul O'Kane, who joins us remotely for around four minutes, please, Mr O'Kane. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The importance of today's debate cannot be understated. Our care homes have been at the centre of the pandemic over the past two years, and let me begin by putting on record my thanks to the amazing staff of our care homes, often underpaid and feeling undervalued, who have done all they can to protect people and to support their families. We know that people who live in care homes and their families all across our country have suffered immensely. The reality is stark. From 2020 to 2021, there were over 2,500 excess deaths in Scottish care homes, each person a loved one for someone. We know that there are still many questions to be answered about how that was allowed to happen, and answers must come in the inquiry. But what made pay even worse for families was not only the fact that they had to lose their loved ones, but that they could not even be there to hold their hand or be by their side in their final hours. That was not just the case in 2020 when we were all under tight restrictions. It has continued to happen over the following year, as restrictions for the rest of the country eased, care homes had to remain under repeated lockdowns, causing untold harm and trauma for residents and their families. The situation, as I am sure we can all agree, is terribly tragic. Although restrictions are being lifted and we are continuing to understand our new reality with Covid, we must ensure that this tragedy does not happen again. That is why I support the motion in Jackie Baillie's name today. The story of Anjouk has touched the hearts of thousands of people across the country, and it is thanks to the continued efforts of her husband Campbell and her daughter Natasha Hamilton that I have helped to bring this issue to the fore of public debate. We should not be hesitating. The Government should not be waiting. It should be acting with a sense of urgency that I believe this situation deserves. I have to say that the SNP's amendment to the Scottish Labour motion today shows that they still do not get it. In fact, I find the amendment quite insulting in its failure to acknowledge Anne, Anne's family and the contribution that they and other campaigners have made. The Government wants to defer the implementation of Anne's law to the national care service, a process that will still take many years. That is to cite the fact that, in recent consultation, Anne's law received virtually unanimous support for people living in an adult care home to have the right to see friends and family. The response also highlighted that it should be law to ensure that parity across our country instead of relying on the discretion of individual care homes. That shows the importance of having Anne's law introduced. Even the actions of the Scottish Government in the care home sector have led to concerns being raised by the Scottish Human Rights Commission about the experience of social care users during the pandemic, saying that the situation in care homes raised concerns under article 2 of the ECHR and the right to life. However, even now, with a consultation telling the Government that there is support and with the commission pointing to failings and concerns, there are still challenges for families being able to see their loved ones on a regular basis. Indeed, care homes have been receiving confusing messages from public health teams, but when they should and should not restrict access. I raised that with the First Minister early January, and there are still issues. Never again can this situation in our care homes across Scotland, because it is vitally important, as we have heard from other colleagues today, that our loved ones, when they are in the care of somebody else, have the right to see their family and their friends and to have that important contact. It is time for the Cabinet Secretary and Ministers to listen to relatives and care users, to implement Aan's law and to end the pain of loved ones being partied at the time when they need one another most. Thank you very much indeed, Mr O'Cain. I now call on Evelyn Tweed, who will be followed by Cal Mocken, for her in four minutes, please, Ms Tweed. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thanks to Jackie Baillie for bringing this important debate to the chamber, and to Natasha Hamilton for her petition in honour of her mother, Ann Duke, highlighting the social isolation caused by Covid restrictions in Scotland's care homes. As we have heard, Aan's law recognises that families and friends play an essential role in the health and wellbeing of people who live in care homes. One of the saddest parts of this pandemic has been the enormous sacrifices many made to keep others safe. Restrictions in care homes were particularly difficult, and residents were cut off from family and friends. To tackle the isolation, the Scottish Government invested £1.5 million in the initiative of connecting residents in Scotland's care homes. Launched in November 2020, Aan's law aimed to equip all care homes in Scotland with digital devices, connectivity, training and support to tackle social isolation and to help residents enjoy the benefits of online access. However, for many, the transition to digital communication was difficult. Even when the technology worked well, some respondents to the consultation noted that their loved ones became more withdrawn and despondent despite daily video calls. I therefore welcome the evaluation of this initiative being undertaken at the University of Stirling in collaboration with the Scottish Government's technology-enabled care programme and the digital health and care innovation centre. Dr Grant Gibson, the project leader and expert in dementia care, says that it is likely that at least some elements of the switch to a greater use of digital platforms to support social interaction among care home residents will become permanent. Therefore, there is a clear need to evaluate whether the programme was successful and to learn lessons to inform wider initiatives supporting care home residents in the future. I am sure that all members in this chamber look forward to the delivery of the SNP's manifesto commitment to strengthening residents' rights in adult residential settings, and the Scottish Government will be introducing Anne's law to Parliament as soon as possible. The Scottish Government is also taking immediate action to ensure that care home residents and their families can benefit from its aims and principles now. That includes working with the Care Inspectorate to update and strengthen the health and care standards, with a strong emphasis on helping residents and their families to remain connected. The Scottish Government is also bringing forward new statutory standards under the Public Services Reform Scotland Act 2010 to help ensure that visitors can be involved in the care and support of their loved ones. I thank the Minister of Social Care for his understanding and on-going hard work to ensure that this legislation is brought to Parliament while considering the sensitivities of more than 400 consultation respondents. The overwhelming heartache that was felt by Natasha Hamilton and many other families across Scotland during lockdown is something that we will remember for many years with a heavy heart. The Covid-19 pandemic has been difficult for everyone. Up and down the country, isolation and loss has been felt by so many, but due to the strength of families affected, we know in particular the impact that is felt by those in our adult care homes. Isolated for so long, disconnected from families and unable to have that human connection, those in our adult care homes have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The reality is that, despite the contribution from the member before me, families feel that this Government has not been provided with enough support to them. In my region of the south of Scotland, like others across this country, families have had to go to windows of loved ones for a chat. Some have watched their condition deteriorate without being able to sit next to them and others have lost loved ones without even being able to say a final goodbye. Those are serious matters. It is one of the most heartbreaking stories of the pandemic and one that we must address now and never allow to happen again. Care homes have been repeated the close to visitors during the pandemic, often being the first premises to close and the last to reopen. Of course, we know how important it is to protect the most vulnerable in the care home setting, but we also know how important it is to strengthen their rights while in that setting. It is therefore crucial that Scottish Labour's call for Anzlo to be introduced by this Parliament. Anzlo, as we have heard, would ensure that relatives of residents are recognised as caregivers. That is the key point. That is giving residents of care homes the right to be visited by those who matter most to them. That would ensure that they have contact that far too many have been deprived of in Scotland's care homes. That has simply gone on for far too long. Those measures could be introduced, ensuring relevant infection control guidance is followed and the physical safety of the residents is protected. Although the Scottish Government has committed to bringing Anzlo forward, that must be done with purpose and promptly, because care home residents and their families are still being failed. Even now, a positive test in a care home for a resident leads to attend self-isolation please, although the rules for everyone else has been relaxed. We know only too well the negative impacts prolonged isolation can have on an individual's mental wellbeing. Families such as that of Anzlo are calling for urgent action and it is crucial that the First Minister and the Health Secretary listen and deliver it. To do not act now is to keep families waiting to inflict more difficulty on residents and their loved ones and to exacerbate an issue that has already impacted thousands of Scots. Families will not stand for it and neither will Scottish Labour. I would once again be tribute to those who work in our care homes, the residents and their families. The challenges placed in front of them throughout this pandemic have been significant and hard to overcome, but they persist and they fight for change that will benefit the lives of those residents in our adult care homes across the country. Our fight for Anzlo will continue because we know the impact interaction with loved ones has on each and every one of us and we will not stop until the Scottish Government act. My message to the Scottish Government, to all the members across the chamber, members on all the benches, is that we must act now in the interest of some of the most vulnerable people in society. I therefore close by urging the Parliament and all the members, and I am looking to the members on the back benches behind the Government, you must act now, step up, step up and support the families, support Labour's motion this evening. Thank you, Ms Mocken. Thank you very much. I now call Sue Webber, who will be followed by Gillian Martin for around five minutes. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Scottish Conservatives recognise the impact that Covid restrictions have had on care home residents and their families, and we gladly support the principles that underpin Anzlo. During the height of the pandemic, care home residents were unable to see their loved ones. Those steps were taken to protect staff and residents from infection, but, undoubtedly, with hindsight, caused much anguish for many residents and their families. Anzlo is the product of a petition to the Scottish Parliament lodged by Natasha Hamilton, who was unable to see her mother for prolonged periods of time during the height of Covid-19. The petition, as we have heard, called on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to allow a designated visitor into care homes to support loved ones. We agree that residents' rights must be strengthened to give nominated relatives or friends the same access rights to care homes and staff, while following stringent infection control measures. It is unacceptable that residents and families have been subjected to a postcode lottery. We must ensure that contact between residents and their close family and friends is not subject to haphazard and fluid policies. Family and friends provide critical support to residents' mental and physical health and wellbeing, and there is no doubt that prolonged isolation from friends and family has a detrimental effect on care home residents. With that in mind, we are disappointed that the SNP Government has taken so long to make good on their commitments and now appear to be dragging their feet on introducing the legislation to the Scottish Parliament despite cross-party support. The commitment to deliver on Anzlo is nearly a year old, and yet the Scottish Government has not yet set out a timetable as to how to deliver it. It has merely said that Anzlo will be introduced to Parliament as soon as practically possible. The SNP allowed over 100 Covid-positive patients to be sent to care homes at the beginning of the pandemic. A report from Public Health Scotland found that, from 1 March to 31 May, 113 hospital patients were discharged to care homes despite having tested positive for the virus within hospital. A further 3,061 were not tested at all prior to discharge. Former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman admitted that the SNP Government failed to take the right precautions when moving elderly patients from hospital into care homes during the pandemic. Despite all that, the SNP has refused to order a public inquiry on deaths from the coronavirus in Scotland's care homes. The Scottish Parliament voted for the Scottish Government to hold an immediate public inquiry to find out what happened in Scotland's care homes during the course of the pandemic. Nicola Sturgeon merely said that we take note of Parliament's view and that the SNP Government was seeking early discussions on whether and how such an inquiry should be and could be established. Of course, it is not only our elderly that are in residential care or nursing homes. Young adults, many with physical and learning disabilities, are also in care. They too deserve the right to see their families. Just as isolation from friends and family has a detrimental effect on care home residents, it also has a negative impact on young people in similar care settings. There are stark differences between how the public are restricted compared to care home residents that Carol Mocken has rightly pointed out. Ann's law has cross-party support. The SNP must stop dithering and bring forward the legislation so that residents and families can have confidence when we are moving beyond this failed and broken approach. I am fully supportive of principles put forward by Ann's law. I am moved by the testimony of our daughter, Natasha Hamilton. There are many others who could not be with their loved ones in care homes at the height of the pandemic. The Covid pandemic challenges us that are unprecedented in living memory. We all remember the fears not knowing what Covid-19 was, how it could be spread, who would be most vulnerable and how infectious it could be. In February, March 2020, we had no vaccine. We looked on with fear at the way it ripped through Italian towns, killing thousands of people, wondering what we would do to us and how we would cope when it arrived. It was right to be cautious. We didn't know what we didn't know and care home residents were particularly vulnerable. We now know what it is to live through a pandemic. We know a lot more about infection control and we recognise how important emotional support and family care is alongside that control. I do not often do personal speeches, but I am going to do that now. I last saw my grandmother, Anna Taylor, in February 2020, when she was living in Oakbridge care home in Knightswood in my friend Bill Kidd's constituency. When my sister and I visited with my parents, we were joined by her excellent key worker, Bismay, a wonderful woman who went above and beyond from my gran. Bismay gently prompted her on who our visitors were, relatives, she said, with firm commitment. She did not really recognise our granddaughters, but she still enjoys seeing us. There was a bit of determination in our answer to Bismay. She was determined to get that question right. She always recognised my dad. During the pandemic, there were short periods where our sons and daughters couldn't visit, but overall, Covid infection was limited and quickly contained. Oakbridge's infection control was outstanding. When they could, they facilitated my uncle, aunt and father to come in and see their mother. Clad sometimes talked to Toll full PPE at the height of the pandemic and always rigorously tested, up until Anna passed last year. Not from Covid, I must add, but from old age, she was 97 and she should be absolutely horrified that I am divulging her age, by the way. I spoke to my uncle and my dad this morning about Oakbridge and they couldn't praise them highly enough. The regular telephone updates from Bismay, the facilitation of safe visiting whenever they could, the rigorous protection of their vulnerable residents from infection and always, always the attention to and understanding of the emotional needs of their residents and their families. They are a model of what care should look like. We have learned a lot in the past two years. If that learning can make the rights and emotional wellbeing of care home residents firmer and support our excellent care homes to safely facilitate them, I am all for it. I am also grateful for the opportunity in our debate on Anne's law that gives me to mention the great care that Oakbridge gave Anna and what they did to ensure that her children could always see her and how much that meant and still means to my family. Thank you very much, Ms Martin. I now call on Gillian Mackay who will be followed by John Mason for around four minutes, Ms Mackay. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to thank Jackie Baillie for bringing forward this debate and pay tribute to Andrews family for their campaigning on this issue. Social care has seen some of the worst impacts of the pandemic. Covid-19 infections devastated many care homes and residents and their loved ones were cruelly separated by restrictions on visiting introduced for their safety. The pain of being separated from a loved one when they may be feeling scared, isolated and lonely is terrible. Having had loved ones in hospital over the pandemic that sadly passed away that we couldn't get in to see was devastating. You don't know what you missed. What you might have picked up from their behaviour or work comfort you could have offered them. I'm sure many of those listening to this debate know all too well the feeling of helplessness at not being able to get to their loved ones. When I met with Ann's Law campaigners outside Parliament, they spoke very movingly of the impact that separation has had on them and their family. I would like to thank them for their incredible campaigning efforts, which have resulted in the Government committing to bringing forward those changes, as we have heard earlier from the minister. As we have heard, visiting restrictions can affect care home residents' physical and mental health. Many people in care homes have dementia and it may be difficult for them to understand why they cannot see their family members. Interruption to routine and lack of social contact may also cause their health to deteriorate. A survey of 128 care homes published by the Alzheimer's Society in June 2020 showed that nearly 80 per cent had seen a deterioration in the health of their residents with dementia due to lack of social contact. Alzheimer's report Covid-19, the hidden impact, revealed that, and I quote, the disruption to daily routines, social interactions and health and social care support has had a negative impact on the physical and mental health of people with dementia and carers. Restrictions can also cause particular distress to people who may be in the last years or months of their lives. For those people, the last two years may have robbed them of their last opportunities to spend time with the people they love and our thoughts and condolences go out to all of them. When visiting was stopped, many people had to turn to remote communications just to stay in touch with residents. However, as we have all learned over the last two years, this is a poor substitute for being able to talk to your family and friends face to face to hug them to see their body language and facial expressions. Ensuring people in care homes have the right to receive visits from their loved ones must be a minimum. That recognises that friends and family play a vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of residents and that a care home is a person's home and the right to family and private life should be respected. Social contact must be prioritised in any social care recovery plans. As I and others have said, visiting restrictions were introduced to keep people safe from Covid, but we must also consider the wider risk to wellbeing posed from limited social contact. That is a delicate balance that we must get right in any forthcoming legislation. Although the focus should be on upholding the rights of the resident, it is vital that we consult with staff and the sector as we move forward so that any changes are implemented safely. Legislation alone will not be enough. We need to ensure that it is accompanied by robust safety and infection control procedures, as well as access to PPE and training for staff. I note that organisations such as the Coalition for Care and Support Providers in Scotland and Scottish Care have raised concerns about the wording that is used in the programme for government and the ANSLAW consultation document, specifically giving nominated relatives or friends the same access rights to care homes as staff. They have raised that this is a greater level of access than is proposed in the consultation questions and that staff have legal duties of care to all residents that visitors do not have. I would be grateful if the minister could comment on that in his closing speech. I would like to end my speech by again paying tribute to Anjuk's families, by welcoming the action announced by the minister to help visitors to be involved in the care of their loved ones and by reaffirming the Scottish Green Party's full support for ANSLAW. Thank you very much, Ms Mackay. Before calling our final speaker, John Mason, I want to remind him that any colleague who has participated in the debate needs to be back in the chamber for the closing speeches, which will follow Mr Mason in around four minutes' time. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to speak. I also fully agree with the motion's main theme in that continuing contact with family and friends when someone has moved into a care home is incredibly important for all concerned. Our own family was in this position as my mother went into an Abbeyfield care home in Rutherglen in January 2019 and stayed there for over two years until she died at the age of 93 just a year ago in March 2021. Therefore, we were restricted in seeing her for the last year of her life. In the warmer weather, it was easier as we could all sit outside, but as we got to the end of 2020 and into 2021, it became quite a struggle to arrange visits with one of the family sitting outside for half an hour while she was all wrapped up and sitting just inside the door. We were not enthusiastic about the restrictions in place, however we told them. However, I have to say that this care home was tremendous. They are a smaller home in the third sector. They had a friendly, homely atmosphere while still being professional. Up to the point of my mother's death, they had no Covid in the home whatsoever. I should probably say that I used to work for a care home company in the 1990s as an accountant and I know that some families are reluctant to see an elderly relative going into a care home feeling that somehow it is second best. However, as far as we as a family were concerned—I should say that it was originally my mother's suggestion when she was younger—the care home was the best option for my mum. It became her home, she belonged there, it was the best place for her and the care she received was better than the family could have provided. When it comes to the right to visit, absolutely, in normal times, a resident in a care home must have the right to receive visitors and family should have the right to visit. In fact, sometimes it is the family who needs to visit more than the actual person in the home. However, I suggest that there is a balance to be struck. The right to visit and be visited goes along with the duty of the care home to promote the wellbeing of all its residents and to protect them from harm, be that physical, mental or emotional. That is not an easy balance to be struck. Once again, we are into the area of competing rights. The rights of the individual resident, the rights of the residents as a whole, the rights of the families involved and that is not even to mention the rights of the staff. If there had been unrestricted or even less restricted visiting in my mother's home, I suspect that she might well have caught Covid and died earlier on. I accept that that would not have been a tragedy as she was 93 and had lived a good and full life. However, I am happier that she avoided Covid and lived that bit longer. I am pleased that visiting was restricted, but, to be frank, other members of our wider family would have lent more to the side that it would have been better for her to have had more visits for her mental and emotional wellbeing even if that had shortened her life a little. I do not believe that there is any absolute right and wrong in that. No two families are the same, no two of us in the one family are the same and no two care homes are the same. I think that the proposed legislation is going to have to be very carefully worded in order to get the balance right. Inevitably, there will be some who feel that it goes too far in one direction and others who feel that it goes too far in the other direction. Most of us today are agreeing that visiting rights should be placed in statute, but we also need to agree that, in very exceptional circumstances, those rights might have to be temporarily suspended. Therefore, I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss those issues today. Covid has been an incredibly hard experience for many families, including mine, and we all want to learn from those experiences. Thank you very much indeed, Mr Mason. We now move to the wind-up speeches. I call Firstly Sandesh Gulhane for around five minutes. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I draw members to my entry in the register of interests as a practicing NHS doctor. The Scottish Conservatives support the principles underpinning Jackie Baillie's motion, and we seek to extend that to include those receiving care in other health and care settings such as hospitals and residential care facilities and would like to review that. As Craig Hoy reminded us, Anne's law is a product for petition to the Scottish Parliament by Natasha Hamilton. Natasha was unable to see her mother and Duke for prolonged periods during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and urged the Scottish Government to allow a designated visitor into care homes to support loved ones. Every one of us recognised the impact that Covid restrictions have had on care home residents and their families. During the height of the pandemic, care home residents were unable to see their loved ones, steps taken to protect staff and residents from infection, but undoubtedly caused anguish for many residents and their families. As an elderly patient told me, for almost two years you've all saved my life, but I haven't lived. Friends and families play a vital role in the health and well-being of residents but also support their care, often complementing the support provided by care home staff. Prolonged isolation from family and friends has been very detrimental to the welfare of adult care home residents. We agree that residents' rights must be strengthened to give nominated relatives or friends the same access rights to care home as staff while following stringent infection control measures, and I cautiously welcome Minister Stewart's announcement in his opening statement, but as he ran out of time so he could not give us further information, I shall be listening intently during his closing remarks. But we should be clear that getting Ang's law in place as soon as possible will help to stop the suffering of loneliness. Craig Hoy reminded us of the importance of family and Alex Cole-Hamilton correctly spoke of the vital nature of human contact. I often speak to relatives who are agonising over the decision to put their partners, parents and loved ones into a care home. They feel that they are not doing enough for them. They feel that they are abandoning their loved one. This is in normal times, but the idea of not being able to hold their hands, give them a kiss or a hug is unimaginable. I thank Sandesh Gulhane for taking the intervention. I had a case in East Kilbride quite heartbreaking. A family contacted me and described visiting their mother in a care home just up the road as being like a prison visit. Does the Member agree with me that we need to move on from a situation like that? I do agree. We cannot be in a situation where families feel that, because it is about that loved touch, that caring nature that we need to give to our care home residents. Paul O'Kane is correct in talking about how the SNP amendment does not get it. The design of the national care service will take too long, and we need to ensure that not a single person suffers as Anne Duke and her family had to suffer. Evelyn Tweed was correct in speaking of how technology caused patients to withdraw and decline. Let us think about that ourselves. If we only speak over technology phone or video, it does not give us the same feelings of warmth as meeting that same person, be it friends or family. I believe that technology can help, but it cannot be the only interaction. Touch is vital to the wellbeing of people, especially those in care homes. Sue Webber spoke of how we have all been in agreement over Anne's law for over a year, cross-party support for a law that is simply right. Gillian Martin's moving story shows us just how important Anne's law is to ensure everyone can receive the excellent care that her grandmother and her family received. If the Scottish Government is serious about Anne's law, it should expedite this and not kick it down the road for inclusion in the Government's proposed national care service bill. The SNP's record on matters relating to our vulnerable in our care homes is a difficult read. The impact of the coronavirus from Scotland's care home as a result of the SNP's decisions has been described as the single biggest failing of devolution, and there have been many. On Anne's law, the Government of Pace be dragging their feet. We call on the SNP Green Government to stop dithering and bring forward legislation so that residents and families can have confidence that we are moving beyond this failed and broken approach. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I would like to thank all members for the contributions that they have made today. This is an extremely important debate, as we all know. I would also like to thank Natasha Hamilton, Campbell Duke and other members of Care Home Relative Scotland, who have been at the very heart of discussions. It is, as we have heard today, very tough indeed to hear some of the stories that folk have gone through. I agree with what many members have said, including Graham Simpson. There is now better in this life than a bosie, a cuddle in the north-east vernacular. It is extremely important that we do our level best for that family connection, because that lack of connection with loved ones, especially earlier on in the pandemic, has had a devastating impact on some people. Thanks to the heartfelt accounts that you share today, I am sure that everyone in this chamber has heard from our constituents and families who have loved London care homes at many of the stories that we have heard today. We know that the recommended measures that have been put in place have been necessary to safeguard people for whom the on-going risks of the virus are significant. I know that we have acted on the best possible advice from our public health teams and our clinical advisers. I am meeting with Care Home Relative Scotland tomorrow with some of those clinical advisers, so that there can be a broader discussion about the reasoning for some of the things that are currently in play. I am more than willing to talk to any member around that and give them access to the clinical advice that we have. If folks have different clinical advice, I am more than happy to look at that as is the Government. I am grateful to the minister. Is the clinical advice telling you to delay Anzlo and, if not, why is it not happening? The clinical advice is very complex indeed, and I will come on to exactly what we are about to do here, as I move on in my speech today. I can assure you that I, the cabinet secretary and the Government feel the pain of the folks who have had to go through those periods of isolation. None of that has been lost in me or the Government. Being able to simply pop in and see those who are most important to us on a daily basis is hard to believe that that cannot happen, but we have had that pandemic. As many have pointed out, including John Mason, where visits took place, often those were outside at the beginning for short periods, with distancing taking place, or they have been, as Gillian Martin pointed out, adherence to infection protection measures inside. That is not what any of us are used to, and I recognise that that has been particularly hard. The experiences and the views expressed have illustrated that families and carers are essential partners in supporting the wellbeing of their family members in care homes. We have heard today that they play an essential role often in people's care, whether that is supporting with eating and drinking, communicating wishes or emotional care and connection with the outside world. A number of members have accused us of trying to kick all of that into the long grass. That was Mr Hoy's words or Dithering's words. Let me be quite clear here. The legal standards that we are putting in place will provide an immediate route to implement Anne's law, as the care inspectorate is required to take account of them within its inspection and enforcement regime. The immediate route to implement Anne's law is what this change, the standards, does. It is important that families out there know that that is the case. You need to conclude, minister, that you are well over something. You need to underpin that in legislation and take account of the likes of the amendment that Mr Hoy put forward today. I am not going to pre-empt the vote, but if it is pre-empted, I am willing to talk to Mr Hoy further about that, because we have to get it right not only just in the care home settings, but in the hospital settings and in the other care settings. I am willing to talk to any member about how we move forward in all of this and get it right. Thank you very much indeed, minister. We are pressed for time. I now call on Monica Lennon to close the debate for up to five minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This has been a short debate but a hugely important one. In closing the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour, I want to thank everyone who has taken part in those who are listening, including Campbell Duke and Natasha Hamilton, who are here in the building with other members of the Care Home Relative Scotland group. I would say to those who have plugged Natasha's petition that she has 97 signature shots of 100,000 signatures, so if you have not signed it, please do so and share it on social media. I want to be really clear that this debate is not about the principles of Anzlo, it is not about the case for Anzlo, it is about when of Anzlo and what we have not heard from the minister is a date. I know that Evelyn Tweed was thanking the minister for all his hard work, but we have been here before and I will come on to the debate that we had back in 2020 when we all agreed the principles of Anzlo. Today it is about delivering on a promise to give effect to Anzlo. It is not about one manifesto, we heard about the SNP manifesto, but Sue Webber and others are correct. That has cross-party support, we are all on the same page, and I want to thank the former health secretary, Jean Freeman, who was very accessible and approachable and had regular meetings with colleagues across the chamber. She said in that debate back in 2020 that she recognised the unintended consequences of the lockdowns, she talked about the importance of touch and she also gave evidence to the Covid-19 committee on that same day. That gave people hope that things were going to change, that we were going to use all the tools that Jackie Baillie and others have talked about in terms of PPE, in terms of vaccines, in terms of testing. We have all those tools, but today, if you look at your own figures published on the Scottish Government website, we are actually going backwards because more care homes have put in restrictions. There are a higher number of care homes this week who are only allowing essential and outdoor visits. Have you seen the Scottish weather last week? We need to look at that and we cannot be complacent. What we are hearing loud and clear from our constituents and from the Care Home Relative Scotland group is that people living in care homes are being treated differently from the rest of society. Jennifer Dicks mum lives in a care home in Edinburgh. The care home put in additional restrictions in 21 February. That has been extended to the 15th of March. Jennifer asked if she could take her mum who has tested negative for Covid a short drive or even take her back to her own house for a visit. She was told no by the manager and the restrictions, I believe, are now in place until the 22nd of March. When the minister meets with the group tomorrow, those are the matters that he will discuss. I hope that he will also apologise to Campbell Duke, Natasha and others who are listening today, because it is great to hear the tributes from Gillian McHine and others about the importance of the motion and the principles. The Government's amendment today, if you are voting for that amendment, you are raising Ann Duke out of that. The motion amplifies the voices of the people who are asking us to get this right. It is not my opinion or Jackie Baillie's opinion or Alton Cole-Hamilton or anyone around the chamber. It is what the group has been saying, and they do not feel listened to, Presiding Officer. Back in October 2020, for those members who are new, there is a motion table in my name that recognises the importance of family caregivers. We did not talk about visitors when we were talking about caregivers. At that point, 200 days had passed. Jackie Baillie's right is now two years down the line, but we all agreed in that debate that we all agreed about those principles, but yet we do not have Ann's law. We even paid tribute to politicians in Ontario for legislation that they were progressing more than a visitor act. We talked about caregiving in congregates care settings. I think that the Tory amendment today is correct, and we will be able to support that. I want to talk about two women. Holly is 37, and Alice Hall is 97. Holly has a learning disability, and she lives in a care home. She wrote to the minister, I believe, at the end of January, and she said that it feels like I'm back to square one again. It feels like I'm a prisoner again. She feels forgotten. Alice, who is 97, knows that our time on this earth is limited, but Alice's daughter, Sheila, said that, after two long years and three vaccines, surviving Covid and surviving isolation, my mum needs to have the same freedom as everyone else in Scotland. That is urgent. I think that my colleague Paul O'Kane conveyed that. What we need now is to stop the dithering, to stop the discrimination, and on behalf of Care Home Relative Scotland, I want to say minister, please return and bring back to our care homes the love and the hope and joy that is missing people want joy, they want hope. People living in care homes, in their own homes, has been rightly said, don't deserve to be treated differently. Yes, protect them using all the tools that we have, infection prevention control, but stop making excuses. Just get on and do this, please. I beg you on behalf of Ann's family and all those other families who are living through this today. Thank you. That concludes the debate. It's time to move on to the next item of business.