We support, inform and speak on behalf of older people in care
Government plans to pilot giving family/friends keyworker status, allowing them to visit people living in care, are a derisory response to months of isolation. Inadequate guidance from the Government about visiting led to unworkable policies which have made visiting impossible for some families. The impact of seven months of isolation on older people in care has been […] Read More...
R&RA has launched a new mini-series, ‘Your Covid Stories‘. It shares stories about the impact COVID-19, and measures to manage it, have had on families. The series kicks off with three stories: husband and wife, together for 65 years, separated by visiting restrictions mum and daughter who have lost their relationship during the pandemic a […] Read More...
24 September 2020 Care home relatives need to be given key worker status says the R&RA #EndIsolationInCare campaign Following the launch of last week’s Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) #EndIsolationInCare campaign, we welcome the Winter Plan’s recognition that it is “important to allow care home residents to safely meet their loved ones, especially […] Read More...
Updated 19 October: The continued isolation of older people in care is putting their human rights at risk. Seven months after care homes went into lockdown, many older people are still unable to see their family and friends. Inadequate guidance from the Government about visiting has kept many homes in lockdown and led to unworkable […] Read More...
The Relatives & Residents Association gave evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus about the Government’s response to the pandemic. We raised concerns about the lack of understanding of the care sector at the top of Government, the lack of support for care users and staff, and the impact of lock-down and isolation. We […] Read More...
R&RA has submitted evidence to Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) for their inquiry into the Government’s response to COVID-19. We expressed our concern and disappointment at the extent to which human rights have been undermined by the Government’s mismanagement of the pandemic. We told the inquiry that action was taken too late to protect […] Read More...
28 July: After a month without any guidance on visiting in care homes in England, families and providers desperately needed clarity and leadership from Government. Unfortunately, the long-overdue guidance provides neither. Guidance was urgently needed to set out the action homes should take to protect residents whose human rights are at risk and how […] Read More...
The Relatives & Residents Association is calling for PPE to be made available free of charge to care providers for all who need it: staff, residents and visitors. Lack of PPE and competition for it has meant that the most vulnerable suffer. Older people and those who look after them continue to be at the […] Read More...
Des Kelly OBE, R&RA Trustee, responds to the Prime Minister’s comment on care homes The backlash that has followed yesterday’s seemingly off-the-cuff remark by the Prime Minister that “too many care homes didn’t really follow procedures” relating to the COVID-19 crisis has been swift and strong – a ‘slap in the face to care workers’. It […] Read More...
The Prime Minister’s comment that “too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures” are disappointing, insensitive and demonstrate a lack of leadership. These words will be a slap in the face for those who have been working, often under intolerable circumstances, to manage the pandemic. Care staff needed support and leadership to ensure they […] Read More...