---

Older People's Rights (Health Care)

The hon. Gentleman probably goes a little further than I would regarding the wider impact on society, and he may have gone beyond the human rights principles that we are advocating. If human rights principles were part of NICE's basic approach, that would in itself be a significant advance and might address many of the matters about which he is concerned. I shall now consider the position of NHS staff, who are on the front line in protecting and promoting the human rights of older people in health care. They are the people with whom older patients and residents interact every day and on whom they rely. We are not talking simply about doctors and nurses: the attitudes, actions and omissions of reception staff or those involved with patient transport have a major impact on older people. They, too, should know what is needed to respect, protect and promote the human rights of the people with whom they deal. Given the many competing demands on health care staff, if cultural change is to be achieved, it is vital that all staff understand what human rights principles mean and how they should be applied. By respecting human rights, staff will also be able to recognise and support the positive benefit they bring to their own working lives, and the lives of patients and residents. Since the Human Rights Act came into force in 2000, human rights training should have been provided throughout hospitals, care homes and other public sector organisations. In 2003, the Audit Commission made a similar recommendation, but the training has not materialised. When training is provided, it is on a one-off basis and is somewhat unfocussed. We recommend that all staff working in health care, both clinical and non-clinical, receive targeted and regular training in human rights principles and duties, and how they apply to their work. The training should be integrated into general training, so it should not be costly. We also ask the Government, the regulators, and the Equality and Human Rights Commission to monitor the extent to which training is provided. The Government responded positively to our concerns and mentioned a number of initiatives that deal with training and guidance on human rights. Perhaps the Minister will tell us what is being planned in more detail and the time scale for those initiatives.