Housing 21 Comment on Equality & Human Rights CommissionInquiry on Home Care

11/23/2011 5:45 AM EST

Pushpa Raguvaran, chief executive of Housing 21 said: “The EHRC inquiry has raised some very disturbing issues. Older people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect yet increasingly we are hearing of examples where care falls way short of expectation and throws into doubt the human rights of older people receiving home care.

“As a leading provider of services for older people, Housing 21 welcomes any proposal that will lead to improvements in care services. Yesterday’s announcement by the Care Quality Commission that home care services are to be subject to fresh inspections is an important step in the right direction.  

“However, more inspections alone are not going to improve things. There is a need for root and branch review of policy, strategy, investment and workforce development.  This is why Housing 21 has a programme of vocational training for all our carers, including Qualifications and Credit Framework Apprenticeships. Investment in training is central to the recruitment and retention of good quality staff and the delivery of high quality service.

“Legislative, regulatory and quality control systems must be such that the human rights of older people receiving home based care are protected and we wholeheartedly support any measures to achieve this.”