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The Commission has recently launched a new guide for older people, their families and friends in England and Wales. It provides an easy to understand guide to home care and human rights. 

“Your rights to home care’’ aims to empower older people so they know they are entitled  to a home care service that respects their human rights, however funded, and what to do if those rights are at risk. The guide follows the launch of the Commission’s ‘Close to Home’ inquiry report one year ago, which showed that many older people are reluctant to complain about inadequate care.

The guide features:

•  What to look for when searching for a home care provider;
•  Case studies with examples;
•  A checklist of rights home care users are entitled to;
•  Funding for home care services; 
•  How to make a complaint.

Home Care inquiry Lead Commissioner Baroness Sally Greengross said:

‘We hope that this guide will offer a lifeline to older people and their support networks in helping them to understand what their rights to home care are. Choosing a home care service for yourself or a loved one can be a complicated and emotional process so any help the Commission can offer to provide clarity has to be a good thing.’

Gary Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Action on Elder Abuse said:

‘Action on Elder Abuse welcomes the publication of this useful guide to human rights and home care, published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Our experience tells us that older people often do not know their rights, and can find it difficult to raise concerns about the quality and reliability of their care. This easy to understand guide will therefore be a useful aid to ensuring that they can both understand and access their rights."

Unison said:

“We fully support the EHRC’s new guide.  Respect for service users’ human rights is integral to a dignified system of homecare and chimes with our own Ethical Care Campaign.  It is vital that homecare workers are provided with the necessary levels of training and support in their role and crucially enough time so they can provide the best possible care.”

For more press information contact the Commission’s media office on 020 3117 0255, out of hours 07767 272 818.

Notes to Editors

The guidance and ‘Close to Home’ Home Care Inquiry report is available at:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/homecareinquiry

Please note that the guide is not legal advice and older people should consult one of the organisations featured in Section 8 or a lawyer.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, which took over the responsibilities of Commission for Racial Equality, Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission.  It is the independent advocate for equality and human rights in Britain.  It aims to reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination, strengthen good relations between people, and promote and protect human rights.  The Commission enforces equality legislation on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and encourages compliance with the Human Rights Act.  It also gives advice and guidance to businesses, the voluntary and public sectors, and to individuals.