Home care 'neglects basic rights' of elderly

Elderly people receiving care at home are having their basic human rights neglected, with some spending long periods in soiled beds and clothing, a new report has found.

Some are left in bed for up to 17 hours between visits and not washed regularly or given sufficient help to eat and drink, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The EHRC found that home visits of just 15 minutes were too short to allow for basic care, and at times led to a choice between a cooked meal or a wash. The turnover of carers was also "huge", with one woman saying she was attended by 32 people in two weeks.

The inquiry found some people were put to bed at 5pm and not helped to get up until 10am. Elderly people also reported of a lack of privacy, with one complaining of being dressed in front of his bungalow window and another in front of family members.

More than a million older people receive care and support in their own home, with a smaller proportion – an estimated 173,000 – in residential care. Today, 81 per cent of publicly funded home care is provided by the independent sector, up from 2 per cent in 1992.

According to Carers UK, carers contribute £119bn in savings to the NHS and social-care budgets with the care they provide, up from £87bn in 2007. Home-care providers are monitored by the Care Quality Commission, which was recently asked to perform an urgent investigation after evidence of systematic abuse at a care home in Bristol was revealed by Panorama.

The Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow, said he welcomed the EHRC's report, which will be published in full in November.