Rights For Residents

A grass roots campaign fighting for the rights of those living in care homes

Latest News:

Keir Starmer pledges support for Gloria’s Law!

In the run up to the election new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said he supported calls “for a legal right for care home residents to have visits from their loved ones and will continue to do so … I want to thank the tireless campaigners who have continued to fight on this issue week-in week-out. I know first-hand how important an issue this is to so many families up and down the country”.

“My Labour government will be focused on ensuring that everyone has the support they need … and we will work closely with campaigners to remove any barriers, change any legislation, and review any guidance, that stops that being a reality.”

He added:

“And as we mark the fourth anniversary of the first lockdown of the pandemic, we remember those friends and family who weren’t able to be with their loved ones through the hardest moments, or say goodbye.”

Rights for Residents is a powerful grass roots campaign voice for people in care and their families. Read more about our campaign for Gloria’s Law – the legal right to a care supporter.

Care Home Residents

Human Right to a Family Life Denied

Three years ago, we never imagined we’d become passionate campaigners but Covid turned our worlds upside down.

Isolated in their care homes our loved ones were starved of the emotional support they desperately relied on. Witnessing their rapid decline, via windows and iPads, we were powerless to comfort them. The distress was unimaginable. Some gave up the will to live and died without the comfort of their closest relative by their side. Many residents were unable to understand why their loved ones had disappeared. As Covid rules relaxed, care home residents remained locked away with no end in sight.

In response to this traumatic experience Diane, Jenny and Kate set up Rights for Residents. They reached out to the media and connected with thousands of other families affected by this issue, via social media, united by a sense of desperation and despair.

People up and down the country joined them and became active campaigners, speaking on behalf of the voices that couldn’t be heard. Motivated by sheer desperation, together they began fighting for the right to maintain contact with loved ones.

The Rights For Residents campaign has been hugely successful in forcing changes to government policy and ensuring thousands of people living in care, of all ages, have been reunited with their families.

Inequality and Discrimination

When Covid restrictions were relaxed and finally lifted for the wider population in England, care home residents and hospital patients were denied the same rights – despite being the first group to be fully vaccinated. We must ensure that we are not denied the same human rights as others just because we happen to live in a care setting.

SUPPORT US

There are many ways you can help us, from making a donation to signing our petition. You may also be able to volunteer to help us or sponsor the campagin.