Patients in private care homes are in danger of human rights abuses but there are no real alternatives, Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Lloyd has said.
Nine out of ten care homes in England and Wales are in the private sector , but as the law stands the Human Rights Act does not extend to these homes.
Residents who experience human rights abuses cannot use the Human Rights Act to challenge the care home provider, and can also face eviction.
Care homes often charge residents over £1000 a week to stay in care, depending on the quality of the home.
Stephen Lloyd MP, said: “There are no realistic alternatives to private care homes.
“The challenge we have here is that the UK simply does not have enough care homes in the public sector. NHS budgets are also under severe pressure at the minute, hence the need for private care homes.”
He also said that 'Care in the Community' was a bad move: “Its principle was not wrong - to try and ensure people with mental health problems could build a life outside institutions.
“However, it was drastically under funded and, frankly, was more of a cost cutting exercise rather than done in the best interests of patients.”
Take a look at this map showing the location of every care home in Eastbourne:
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'Care in the Community' was originally employed by the Conservatives in the 1980s and was designed to ensure that people with mental health problems could build a life outside institutions.
However, Support Worker Pauline Kilgallon believes that residents in care homes receive care of a high standard.
She said: “At the care home we would call them residents or service users, we help them maintain their lifestyles and assist them if they need assistance with personal care.
“Some of them can't use the kitchen facilities; it's too much of a risk. So we provide them with food, we take them to college, or if they have appointments to visit people, just general, day to day living.”
However, the Human Rights Act also works for the staff in care homes, with staff often putting themselves at risk. Pauline said:
“Some of the more aggressive patients will thump you, and there have been instances of staff getting beaten up.
“You just have to keep your wits about you, and you usually know the person who is liable to do that so you never turn your back on them, and we always make sure we have an exit from the room if it gets dangerous.
“We get training in avoidance techniques and how to deflect people. We just learn avoidance techniques, so if they're running at you, you can give them a little tap and sent them off in the other direction.”
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