Rights For Residents

A campaign to end the current inhumane restrictions to visiting loved ones in care homes.

IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re now part of Care Rights UK!

Rights for Residents and the R&RA have now joined forces as Care Rights UK to become a powerful new voice for people in care and their families.

Our passion for campaigning and our commitment to supporting loved ones in care and their families burns stronger than ever. Working together as one team, we’ll be better placed to take on new challenges and to campaign on the wider issues that affect our followers and supporters. Being a bigger team also allows us to offer more expert help and advice via the Care Rights UK helpline.

Rest assured the Rights for Residents campaign continues, as the campaign voice of the Charity Care Rights UK and that Jenny, Diane and Kate remain as part of the driving force behind it.

Visit our new website Care Rights UK where you can find out more about our campaign activities and get support if you’re struggling with issues around care.

Sign up to receive future campaign updates!

All future campaign updates will now come via the Care Rights UK mailing list, so to be sure you continue receiving them it’s important to sign up today. It takes just a minute!

Care Home Residents

Human Right to a Family Life Denied

On 19 January 2022, the Health Secretary acknowledged that the virus and future variants cannot be eradicated, stressing, “we must learn to live with Covid in the same way we live with flu”.

However those those living in care, both young and old, have not enjoyed the same freedoms as those in the wider society. While many care providers embraced the opportunity to return to open visiting, others continue to impose discriminatory visiting policies, that deny those in their care the human right to a family life. In the recent Parliamentary debate on the issue,Care Minister Helen Whately accepted the shocking findings of our survey:

“there is clearly still a problem. I have also seen the data from the Rights For Residents survey showing that 45% of responses said that restrictions on visiting had still been in place since April, and in 11% of outbreaks no visitors were allowed at all … I am concerned to see that” … I have commissioned work on what I can do to sort this out. I assure all Members in the Chamber and all those listening to the debate that I do not consider the status quo acceptable, and I am on the case”.

Inequality and Discrimination

On 19th July 2021 all Covid restrictions were lifted for every citizen living in England. We are now free to manage our own risks as the Government insist we learn to live with the virus.

Despite being the first group to be fully vaccinated, many care home residents are denied the same rights.