Human rights at risk in care
A damning Parliamentary report today highlights how rights are at risk in care settings. The report is a welcome vindication of the concerns people using care and their families have been raising with our helpline. But it is a damning indictment of the lack of action to protect the rights of older people placed in the most vulnerable of situations.
The report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) highlights many concerns the Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) raised in its oral and written evidence to the inquiry and the Committee’s recommendations mirror many of our calls, including:
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) must adequately monitor providers’ compliance with expected standards and hold them to account – the JCHR noted the lack of trust in the regulator
The introduction of a new right to nominate one or more relative/friend to provide support in all circumstances, which we called for under our End Isolation In Care campaign
The CQC must monitor compliance with visiting restrictions
Specific training on human rights for all care staff, on the law and how it can be used in practice to improve care and treatment
Complaints mechanisms must be streamlined and CQC must act to ensure care users do not face retaliation if they complain
Extending the duties under the Human Rights Act to all providers of care, regardless of how care is funded
The Committee’s report quoted from R&RA’s evidence, including insights from our helpline:
A son became concerned about his father’s care after noticing he was not always getting his medication or appropriate diet, was becoming depressed and had a poor quality of life. R&RA supported the son to secure a review of his father’s needs and he was moved to a more appropriate setting.
The JCHR report follows the introduction of the Bill of Rights Bill to Parliament, which seeks to repeal the Human Rights Act and weaken human rights protections.
Helen Wildbore, director of the Relatives & Residents Association, said:
“The Committee’s report is a damning indictment of the failure to protect people placed in the most vulnerable of situations. From the lack of action of the regulator to the lack of training for care staff, older people are being left at risk of having their fundamental rights breached. Our helpline hears from people using care and their families who feel powerless and voiceless. Rather than seeking to weaken human rights laws, the Government must urgently act to redress the power imbalance in care and ensure older people are treated with dignity and respect.”
R&RA submitted written evidence to the JCHR inquiry into human rights in care settings in November 2021 and gave oral evidence in January 2022.
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