We support, inform and speak on behalf of older people in care
8 September 2021: The Residents & Relatives Association is bitterly disappointed by the Prime Minister’s social care reforms announcement. ‘Fixing social care once and for all” is a slogan that fails to understand the true extent of the crisis the care sector is currently experiencing. The continued failure to appreciate the vital relationship between the provision […] Read More...
R&RA are pleased to welcome five new trustees to our Board. Following an open recruitment process, our members elected the new trustees at our AGM in July. Judy Downey, Chair of the R&RA said: “I am delighted to welcome our five new trustees to the Board. Together, they will bring a wide range of knowledge […] Read More...
Des Kelly, R&RA Trustee, reflects on the virtues of a virtual AGM and ‘open cultures’ in care homes 31 August 2021 The Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) held its first virtual Annual General Meeting last month. Like so many charities, over the last 16 months or so, the R&RA has had to embrace online communication […] Read More...
R&RA’s chair, Judy Downey, spoke at our AGM about the challenges confronting the charity 22 July 2021 Despite all the publicity surrounding care and care homes throughout the pandemic, the realities of care for older people remain largely invisible to the general public. This is reflected in the ill-informed and ill-advised decisions by government agencies […] Read More...
4 August 2021: R&RA has written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent moves to be made to set up the public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic. The joint letter with our friends at John’s Campaign, puts Mr Johnson on notice that we will apply for Core Participant Status in the public inquiry as […] Read More...
21 July 2021: R&RA’s director has outlined how older people’s human rights continue to be infringed in care settings. Speaking at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ageing and Older People, Helen Wildbore set out how the Government’s neglect of the care sector had undermined the rights of care users and staff early on in […] Read More...
R&RA’s director, Helen Wildbore, spoke at our AGM about our work to champion the rights of older people needing care 22 July 2021 I joined R&RA as director in October 2019 and nothing could have prepared me for the challenges 2020 would bring. The pandemic, and measures taken to manage it, have had a devastating impact […] Read More...
19 July 2021: Today has been dubbed ‘freedom day’. People across England regain their freedoms after 16 months of restrictions impacting on everyday life, including where they can go and who they can meet. Yet, for people living in care, we fear very little will change. Visiting guidance for care homes has been reissued […] Read More...
The Relatives and Residents Association has published a guide for care homes on Visiting and the Law. It provides an overview of the legal duties on care providers relevant to visiting, including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Human Rights Act. Aiming to be practical, accessible and user-friendly, the guide also contains worked examples […] Read More...
28 May 2021: A political drama played out this week on the Government’s response to the pandemic. During seven hours of evidence to MPs, the former chief advisor to the Prime Minster set out some serious allegations about Government failings which he said meant ‘tens of thousands of people died who didn’t need to’. Dominic […] Read More...