The Bishops of England and Wales today stated that the Care Quality Commission’s report into the care of older people requires values, compassion and an ethos of service to be put back at the heart of health and social care services for older people.
Archbishop Peter Smith said “This is the moment many Catholic health and social care professionals have been warning of, a time when lack of care means the system begins to fail people time and time again. The report highlights not just failures in care, but something which is deeply wrong at the heart of our health and care services. How we value the people we care for, and how we treat them, holds up a mirror to who we truly are as a society and as individuals. The CQC report rightly identifies that we must put compassion, a commitment to dignity and a determination to keep people happy and healthy at the very centre of our care services; and that the systems are too often being allowed to fail.”
“Regulation plays a part, but is not the whole story. It is essential to foster a culture of care which cherishes life from its beginning to its natural end, which recognises the God given dignity of the older person, and sees it as the greatest honour to respect their dignity through the best care possible.”
“The Church has something important to contribute to how society should care for older people. Care homes for the elderly should always have an ethos of care and dignity for the elderly. Our healthcare reference group and its partner agencies like the Catholic Medical Association work hard to put compassion and care at the centre of formation for health and social care workers.”
“We would gladly share our insights and experience with our own Catholic care homes with Government, as part of the Government’s agenda for working more closely with faith groups. This would be an authentic implementation of Benedict XVI’s message to us in Westminster Hall.”
The Healthcare Reference Group is comprised of a range of health and social care professionals.
Contact
e: ccn@cbcew.org.uk
t: 020 7901 4800
