NEW RESEARCH REPORTS

Our research with 230 people across UK on the impact of the Government’s response to the Covid-19 for people with care and support needs.

Our reports include Easy Read and full versions.

THREAD

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2. This research draws on experiences of people accessing (or trying to access) services, their families and those that care about them, advocates, campaigners and community groups, as well as staff from health, care, social work.

3. Most people identified their care & support needs (or those of the people they care about / support) as related to learning disabilities, Autism, physical health issues or mental health issues. Services they received incl at home, supported living, residential homes & hospital

4. The findings make for worrying reading, shining a spotlight on the realities of Covid-19 focussed changes to law, policy and access to care and treatment for people with support needs.

5. Almost 70% of people, their families, friends and cares told us their care and support had got worse during Covid-19.

6. The concerns of advocates, community groups and campaigners echoed people’s experiences, with over 50% saying there was no clarity about what laws are being used to change people's care and support during Coronavirus.

7. Staff in health, care, social work, etc. shared similar concerns:

82%: has been harder to uphold people’s human rights during Covid-19
3/4: no training or clear info on how to uphold human rights
Almost 80%: no training or clear info about changes under the Coronavirus Act.

8. We asked people about specific experiences during Covid-19, relevant to our human rights in the Human Rights Act, which services & authorities have a LEAGE duty to uphold. This has NOT changed under Coronavirus emergency laws.

Some examples …

9. Right to life. This carries a legal duty on authorities/services to both not take life and to address risks to life through positive action):

Almost 1 in 9 people shared experiences of pressure and use of DNRs without involvement

Almost 80% of advocates had witnessed this

10. Right to respect for private & family life, incl our wellbeing, relationships & being involved in decisions about our lives. There have been significant restrictions without alternatives:

People: 54% experienced this

83% of advocates & community groups and 53% of staff saw

11. Right to not be discriminated against, which includes & goes further than protected characteristics under equality law ...

More than half of all people, advocates and staff told us people with care and support needs have been treated worse that others during Covid-19

12. You can find the Easy Read reports, kindly produced with the support of the Kirklees Involvement Network ( @CloverleafAdvoc), & the full reports here: https://www.bihr.org.uk/news/bihr-reports-covid-19

We have shared our findings with parliament’s JCHR @HumanRightsCtte

13. Clearly there needs to be accountability; and there are many calls for an Inquiry. Investigating what has happened to put so many people’s human rights at risk is important. But we must also not only look back, action is needed now to stop ongoing human rights risks.

14. Our work during this pandemic with over 1000 people, frontline staff & advocates shows there is a desperate lack of knowledge & use of human rights in everyday decision making. But this can be addressed. Covid-19 responses and recovery must be driven by human rights /Ends