Human rights impacted as people left without assistance to get out of bed, wash and use the toilet
The drastic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people who need social care support at home has been laid bare.
New research shows that they have experienced either a reduction or a complete withdrawal of support.
In some cases people were left without essential care, such as assistance to get up and go to bed, to wash and use the toilet, to eat and drink and to take medication.
The removal of care plans has had a direct and detrimental effect on people’s rights – and may even be illegal under international human rights laws.
Rights affected include people’s rights to physical and psychological integrity, private and family life, and to independent living in the community.
These are covered by the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The research on the impact of the withdrawal of social care support during the pandemic was commissioned by the Scottish Human Rights Commission.
Care has been withdrawn due to a mix of financial issues and staffing problems caused by Covid.
The commission said it is deeply concerned about the current social care support available to people whose packages have been reduced or withdrawn, and is calling for the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) to jointly commit to the return of care and support at pre-pandemic levels, as a minimum.
A range of organisations took part in the research, all of which have been anonymised. In the findings, one third sector organisation said: “There are people whose social care packages were cut basically overnight, they would usually have three daily visits, they have been completely cut no-one to support them to get dressed or to apply medication, the regressive nature of that is so stark, it’s hard to even describe the impact of that on people.”
In evidence, a user led organisation stated: “There are a lot of examples of people left in dire situations, we have been told of people being forced to sleep in wheelchairs, unable to get out of bed, unable to wash and dress themselves, keeping up basic chores having to move in with family even though you know family isn’t used to providing the care and support they need, family members being forced into caring roles that they haven’t done before and some having to give up employment to do that.”
A disabled people’s organisation said: “One person we work with ended up being left in their wheelchair, not properly dressed, for hours at a time, no dignity, they ended up having a physical and mental breakdown, no support.”
The report sets out 24 recommendations for action, including a demand that the Scottish Government establishes a better data collection system so that the extent of the problem can be better monitored – something that is crucial as the effects of the pandemic will be long-lasting.
It also demands that human rights are used to inform future decisions about people’s care and support.
Judith Robertson, chair of the commission, said: “Social care is an essential investment in realising people’s rights, particularly those of us who are disabled, older or provide unpaid care. Delivered properly, social care should enable people to access their rights to family life, health, education, employment and independent living in the community, among others.
“That’s why the commission is deeply concerned about the reduction and withdrawal of social care support to people during COVID-19, and the impact this is having on their rights.
“Ultimately the commission wants to see a social care system, based on human rights, capable of delivering the outcomes which are enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”
The regressive nature is so stark, it’s hard to even describe the impact on people
A Scottish government spokeswoman said short-term changes to support were "necessary" because of the reduction in workforce during the pandemic.
However, she added that the government had established an independent review of adult social care with a human-rights based approach to consider "what changes are required".
Councillor Stuart Currie, Cosla's health and social care spokesman, said that local governments attempted to ensure social care support continued when the pandemic hit.
However, he said that support could not be delivered in the same way for some people - and others no longer wanted support.
"It is critical that where this has happened it is reviewed and this work is under way in health and social care partnerships," he said.
"Cosla agree that human rights should be enshrined in social care and this must be central to any reform or review of social care, this report sets out helpful recommendations to support this approach."
