Human Rights
Human rights at the heart of older people care and inspection
Regulation of Care changes in Scotland
The Scottish Government Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced in September that she was reversing a reduction in the frequency of inspections, which came into effect in April and could have left a gap of two years between inspections. The new system, with all care homes subjected to an unannounced annual inspection, was expected to be implemented in April next year. But now Ms Sturgeon has said it will be introduced in early February.
A report by the Scottish Parliament’s health committee, following its inquiry into the regulation of care for older people, said the switch should happen as soon as possible. The Report warned: “The committee considers that, until the increased frequency is implemented, a potential weakness in the regulatory system remains.” The Report also highlighted the central importance of a human rights based approach not only in inspection but in the delivery of care at home and care homes services.
The committee launched its inquiry following the death of a resident at the Elsie Inglis nursing home in Edinburgh in May, which sparked a police investigation. The committee report said it was vital that service users, carers and relatives were engaged in the inspection regime and it recommended a review of national care standards.
In answer to a parliamentary question, Ms Sturgeon said: “I will shortly bring forward regulations on the increased inspection frequency for certain older people’s services which will come into force by the beginning of February. This will be the minimum inspection frequency and the Care Inspectorate will continue to inspect more frequently on the basis of the intelligence it receives.”
Equal and Diverse joins with others in social care in Scotland in welcoming these changes and in looking forward to an inspection model which is collaborative, participative and which seeks to build capacity, not least as we move towards personalised support schemes.
We would go further and urge the Government to seek to embed a human rights approach in such developments. We would concur with the words of a spokesperson of the Scottish Human Rights Commission who stated that:
“We warmly welcome that the Committee has identified the importance of human rights and equality in the National Care Standards. We know from our experience of working closely with older people, their families and carers as well as care providers that putting human rights at the heart of services can improve care and support for everybody involved.”
The Commission has developed a training and awareness programme called Care about Rights which highlights the importance of human rights in older people’s care and support services, which you can access here
Dr Donald Macaskill
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Source: The Scotsman.
