Findings from the Scottish Human Rights Commission
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has published research demonstrating that “a considerable proportion of people who use social care support at home have experienced either a reduction or complete withdrawal of support during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The new report details how the removal of care plans during COVID-19 has had a direct and detrimental effect on people’s rights, including potential unlawful interferences and non-compliance with rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
“Rights affected include people’s rights to physical and psychological integrity, private and family life, and to independent living in the community.”
The report states:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the inadequacies of the ways in which social care is accessed, funded, procured and commissioned in Scotland.”
Many of the SHRC recommendations are similar to our own research, My Support, My Choice: User Experiences of Self-directed Support in Scotland, which offers no less than 65 recommendations to improve access alone, one example being:
“It should not be assumed that family supports which have been in place during the crisis are sustainable over the long term.”
You can see our own findings and recommendations (52/53) on the assumption of family family support here.
Self Directed Support Scotland along with social care providers, disabled people’s organisations, carers’ organisations, mental health professionals, specialist legal professionals and advocacy organisations contributed to the study which is an important read for our members.