Rights for Residents - Petition Delivery and Protest

Where: Outside Downing Street

When: 16th September 1pm to 4pm

Please sign and share our petition ahead of the Protest Day - when we will deliver our petition to the Prime Minister - to force the Government to end isolation in care homes

No "Freedom day" for care home residents

It was staggering that the rights of care home residents were completely absent from the Prime Minister’s thoughts on so called “Freedom Day”. From 19th July every other member of our society has enjoyed freedom from Covid restrictions – regardless of whether or not they’ve been vaccinated.

Since then, people have enjoyed socialising whenever and wherever they want, while many residents and their families, have to plead with care home managers just to be "allowed" to sit in their own room together. Some are still limited to a 30 or 60 minute visit, every two or three weeks, in a faceless, designated room. Even when all parties are fully vaccinated and tested.

Many care homes continue to defy Government instruction to open up to visitors and currently there are no penalties for those denying their residents the right to a family life. Please help end their suffering. They should have the same right as everyone else to manage their own risks now that they have been fully vaccinated and visitors are required to undertake weekly tests. 

Even the most vulnerable living in the community can enjoy endless opportunities to mingle. The same principle must be urgently applied to those living in care settings as there is no risk-free solution for any of us. The alternative is that those living in care homes will be locked away indefinitely, with no end in sight. Care home residents have to sit back and watch while thousands attend concerts and sporting events  - without any requirement whatsoever to be vaccinated or tested - and all they ask is to spend time with those they hold most dear. 

This is not a party-political issue – it’s an issue of morality, equality and fairness - as has been shown in the huge cross-party support the Rights for Residents Campaign has had from MPs and the media so far.

To date our campaign has garnered a huge amount of support from the media also, and as a result the Government have accepted many of our demands. However, the rights of care home residents to receive essential visits must be enshrined in law - if we are to avoid further deaths that result from vulnerable people dying of loneliness and isolation.

In the future it could be your loved one that is forced to endure months of separation and isolation.  Please support our campaign and share our petition with your email, Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter contacts.

I've attached some images to show the huge amount of coverage our campaign has generated. If you'd like to find out more please visit the Rights for Residents website.

Thanks for supporting this important issue.