Advocacy groups are calling for a review of government guidelines they say “wrongfully jail” nursing home residents who go on day trips.
Department of Health and Social Affairs (DHSC) guidelines, updated April 7, require residents to self-isolate for 14 days after traveling out of their home.
John’s Campaign is “very concerned” about advice which it believes may deprive residents of their liberty.
Ms Hurst (right) says the treatment is ‘cruel’
He envisions a challenge, with lawyers sending a pre-action letter – the step before formal court proceedings begin – to DHSC.
The letter, sent by Leigh Day, says the self-isolation rule “creates an unacceptable risk of illegality because it encourages (in effect, compels) nursing homes to act illegally, namely by wrongly imprisoning residents. care centers and / or by depriving residents of their liberty “.
Nicola Hurst says her 84-year-old mother, Imelda Santangeli, hasn’t left her nursing home for 14 months.
“It’s illogical, cruel and I think it’s barbaric,” she told Sky News.
“She can see the sun, she can see the beach, she can see the promenade that she loves so much and she is not allowed to go for a walk on it. It’s just cruel.”
Ms Hurst says the idea that she cannot be trusted to keep her mother safe on day trips is insulting.
“I have been taking care of my mother for 14 years. It is extremely insulting that people do not trust the one person who loved and cared for her for all these years.”
“What do they think I’m going to do? Am I going to take my mom to the beach, look for someone who appears to have COVID-19 and say ‘please sneeze on my mom?’ “
Activists say the government has not made it clear that the isolation period does not apply to people returning from a medical appointment.
They fear that this will lead to individuals who feel they could not cope …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-04-16 18:46:00
