DR UK has serious concerns about the implications of the Coronavirus Bill on human rights, especially the rights of vulnerable groups, including disabled people.
The second reading of the Bill is on Monday 23 March – tomorrow. We are calling on disabled people to act now, today, on this.
Our key concern is that the Bill suspends the Care Act. The Bill will effectively free local authorities of their duties to provide social care support under the Care Act 2014 and will only oblige local authorities to provide support in cases where the human rights of disabled people will be breached.
We must act now, as this is being bought into law tomorrow afternoon!
This is very worrying, and if it’s true, a new bill being rushed through will allow local authorities to seemingly wash their hands of providing care for those who need it. I think we all need to act and contact our MP’s at once.
"The Bill will effectively free local authorities of their duties to provide social care support under the Care Act 2014 and will only oblige local authorities to provide support in cases where the human rights of Disabled people will be breached.
We know from experience that in order for human rights to be breached in social care context the situation has to be very critical or severe. "
Most of us here already know how so many local authorities are looking for any excuse to cut funding or deny it all together, this will allow them to get away with it to an ever greater extent than they already have! It’s worrying that this isn’t being more widely shared/documented and I feel like it’s imperative to take a few minutes and contact your local MP to protest this change being put through.
Quick and easy way to contact your MP and dispute this bill. Action Network
From another thread … Professor Luke Clements’s initial reaction :
These changes to the Care Act 2014 would only be triggered if the spread of coronavirus was such that the Secretary of State considered LAs to be at imminent risk of failing to fulfil their duties under the Care Act 2014 and would be deactivated at the conclusion of the emergency period. Even during the operation of these changes, LAs would still be expected to continue meeting all of their duties under the Act if they are able to do so.
However, during the peak, adult social care services will face surging demand and reduced capacity arising from higher rates of staff absence. This may make it impossible for LAs to continue to deliver at current service levels, or undertake the detailed assessments they would usually provide.
In such circumstances it is crucial that LAs should be able to prioritise care in order to protect life and reach rapid decisions over the provision of care without undertaking full Care Act compliant assessments.
These provisions, which would only be brought into operation for the shortest possible time at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak. Without these provisions, LAs would be constrained by existing assessments, which could result in them maintaining these at the expense of new, more urgent needs, or prevent them from allocating scarce support purely on the basis of severity of need. Such decisions could be inhibited by the fear of legal challenge under the Care Act.
Carers UK’s response the Emergency Coronavirus Bill can be found through the link below. This web page will be updated with our response to the range of carer releated issues addressed by this bill.
In working behind the scenes we are also doing all that we can to represent the rights of carers in relation to this bill. The range of issues being highlighted on the Forum is really helpful in enabling us to build a picture of how the coronavirus is affecting carers across the UK.
We’ll keep you updated with further developments as they happen
I have been on the computer all morning, trying to sort out my son’s care.
He needs care for life, we found a lovely residential care home that closed down thanks to changes in regulations.
Against our wishes (I’d just had major cancer surgery) he was moved into supported living.
Supported living was supposed to be the government’s solution to improving the lives of those with learning difficulties.
I was assured that he would get all the care he needed, provided by the same people, just administratively different.
There have been continual problems ever since and I’ve been more and more concerned about how he will managed after I die.
Today absolutely takes the biscuit!!!
It started with an email from the provider saying she didn’t have enough staff. Could he come home to live with me again!!!
Then an email from a day service provider, saying she thinks it’s best that he doesn’t go there any more either. After all, the care provider (the one that wants him to come home) should be providing him with care regardless. Only that isn’t the case, they only support him 3 hours a day, in the evening!
Then a suggestion that my eldest son looks after him here, if I can’t.
No, he’s a mechanic for the council, the only one with an HGV licence, the only one who can legally drive a dustcart to test it, etc etc. There are two other mechanics, but they don’t have an HGV licence. The vehicles work out of two depots, the other one doesn’t have a workshop and 15 miles away, so No.1 son is constantly going between the two.
Huge moral blackmail has been poured on me this morning, but caring for my disabled son for a weekend leaves me with what we call “Hangover Monday” when I’m too tired to do too much.
So you are expected to be miraculously fit and healthy overnight BB. If only! Moral blackmail is the pits… I’m so sorry you have this to cope with, just never ending for you
Traditionally I have Monday Morning Jobs, vacuum lounge, general tidy up, washing in the machine etc. Was at the computer all morning and have decided to delay the MMJ’s for Tuesday.
I have learned to hard way is to recognise when I’m super stressed. Off the scale this afternoon, so I’ve decided to have a “be nice to yourself” afternoon while I wait for emails to be returned, and go “on strike”. Ideally I’d just go to bed, but as soon as I nodded off I know the phone would ring.
At the end of a long day, M’s care providers have arranged extra care. Just spoken to him on the phone, he’s getting very stressed about the “virus” and the way it’s affecting his routine.
A very stressful day for you. I’ve just deleted what I was saying, as I was double checking what you wrote. Could job I did.
What is going on I wonder.I really feel for you