Blog Same Height

PAs in Hospital Campaign

The Right to Support in Hospital: Act Now

Too many people are still being denied the right to take their PA or support worker with them into hospital. Sometimes hospitals refuse outright. Other times, funding bodies claim it counts as “double care”. But this is a misunderstanding of the role PAs play.

Why it matters
Care from hospital staff is not the same as care from someone who knows you. Your PA can help with communication, personal care, eating and drinking, using medical equipment and staying calm. Their presence can prevent distress, injury and medical complications. It also helps staff by allowing them to focus on clinical care, not day-to-day support.

This is about safety, dignity and the right to equal treatment.

Pathfinders and ILG Community have long campaigned to change this. Now we have a chance to be heard.

What’s Happening Now

The Government is reviewing Regulation 9A under the Health and Social Care Act. This includes whether people in hospital and care settings should have a legal right to stay in contact with the people who support them.

At the moment they are trying to apply this to family and unpaid carers only. We think paid carers and PAs should have the right to support you in hospital also.

The review runs from 28 May to 9 July 2025, and includes:

  • A Call for Evidence
  • Focus groups and consultation
  • A new Parliamentary debate on the right to maintain contact

What You Can Do

  1. Complete the survey

Tell the Government what needs to change.
Complete the survey here (this will open in a new window)

  1. Write to your MP

Ask them to support Dan Carden MP. He is leading a new Parliamentary push to protect the right to maintain contact in care settings. This includes hospitals and the right to bring PAs or paid carers with you.

Dan led a cross-party bill on this issue in the last Parliament, but it ran out of time. This is a second chance.

The debate will take place on Tuesday 24 June and will be broadcast on Parliament TV.
Tell your MP this is not about party politics. It is about basic rights. Ask them to support Dan and speak in the debate.

Please find a sample letter to send your MP here. Please feel free to personalise it, especially if your PA has been refused, or explain how your PA would help you in hospital.

If you are unsure who your MP is you can find that information here.

  1. Share your experience

We urgently need real examples to show the harm this issue causes. If you have been affected, please share your story. We will feed it into the official review.

This campaign is not just about care homes. It includes hospitals. It is not just about family. It is about our right to support from PAs and paid carers. Let’s make sure they do not ignore us.

We have a rare opportunity to change the law.
Act now. Share the survey. Contact your MP. Be heard.