Health Secretary Backs Campaign For Care Home Cameras
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock has thrown his weight behind a campaign to install cameras in care homes.
The campaign by newspaper Daily Express and the Care Campaign for the Vulnerable calls for the installation of CCTV cameras in care home communal areas.
Mr Hancock, who is the first minister to publicly back the campaign, said: “I think this is something we need to look at and I can see the case.I back the Daily Express Respect for the Elderly campaign.”
Jayne Connery, the director of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable, said: “It is now imperative Mr Hancock confirms that legislation will soon be on the statute books and that all future care organisations partnering with the NHS and local authorities will be required to have such systems in place.”
The move by the minister was welcomed by Jayne Connery, director of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable, who said: “It is now imperative Mr Hancock confirms that legislation will soon be on the statute books and that all future care organisations partnering with the NHS and local authorities will be required to have such systems in place.”
CQC Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Kate Terroni, opposes making CCTV a necessity in care homes, however.
She said: “The need for the use of CCTV in a care setting should be an exception rather than a rule for all. The risk of breaches to an individual’s rights to dignity, privacy and respect must be considered. What is key here is that those who are in charge of running care homes have enough staff who are suitably skilled, trained, supported and valued to do their job well and to always meet the needs of those who rely on good, safe care.
“We have published information on this topic for public and providers which sets out the key issues around consent, dignity and privacy that are absolutely essential for anyone using or considering using surveillance – together with guidance on other steps that people and their families can take if they have concerns about the quality of care being provided.”
