04 April 2008
Care services minister Ivan Lewis has vowed to extend the Human Rights Act to cover 300,000 elderly people placed by local authorities in privately run care homes, in a crackdown on elder abuse.
He said the government would also set out plans later this year to give self-funding residents the right to refer complaints about their care to an independent adjudicator.
Lewis also launched a £2m research project to see how the care of elderly people in institutions can be improved.
The measures would, he said, strengthen the protection of vulnerable people in care homes. 'In an ageing society, the way we treat older people is one of the top priorities for the government,' Lewis said.
'We are considering how to amend the Health and Social Care Bill to reverse the consequences of a recent court decision, and make care homes providing publicly arranged accommodation directly subject to duties under the Human Rights Act.'
The minister outlined the measures as the Commission for Social Care Inspection launched its review of access to care services.
PFapr2008
