Pensioners condemn Law Lords' ruling on human rights in care homes

 

Britain's biggest pensioners' organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has described today's ruling by the Law Lords to exclude residents in private care homes from the protection of the Human Rights Act as "scandalous and incomprehensible".

 

Dot Gibson, NPC vice president said: "The law is worthless if it cannot protect the most vulnerable members of our society, and to have a situation where one set of residents in local authority care homes are covered by the Human Rights Act and those in private homes are not is absolutely scandalous and incomprehensible."

 

"What makes this case even more bizarre is that the 84-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer who brought the case before the courts is actually having her care funded by her local council. The only difference is she does not live in a council owned building."

 

"The care and protection of Britain's elderly is now so serious that the government should immediately consider introducing new legal protection for those receiving care and an independent advocacy service that can represent those who are frail and vulnerable. Society has to realise that care home residents need greater protection from the law - not less, and today's decision is a step backwards in the fight for dignity in retirement."