Care Rights UK is your care champion, the charity focused on defending the rights of people in care

We want people to know their rights and how to use them.

We offer information, advice and support to empower people using care services and the relatives and friends who help them.

As a community of families and experts, we have joined forces to fight for better lives for people in care. We identify poor care and highlight good practice, and demand a better care system.

Empowering people

When people need care services they can find themselves bemused, trying to navigate through a complex system at an emotional time. They can be faced with difficult decisions whilst dealing with a mix of feelings, including guilt and fear. People often tell us that supporting a relative to move into care is the most difficult decision of their life and they feel they are grieving for someone who is still alive.

Experiencing problems with care services can leave people feeling powerless and afraid to speak out for fear of reprisals.

Our highly praised helpline offers information, advice and support on care issues affecting older people. Sympathetic, expert, totally impartial, and free, our service is there for everyone who experiences problems with care. Contact the helpline.

Campaigning for change

The next few years will be critical for social care; there is a huge task to deliver care and support people can rely on. Years of underfunding left the care sector stretched and vulnerable. Now, years of pandemic have left the sector in crisis. Urgent and substantial reform is needed to ensure the system is fit for purpose, for the hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people who rely on it today, and for the future.

People who need support should have peace of mind that their care will be delivered by staff who are kind, compassionate, confident and skilled. When moving into care, people should be able to expect that their new home will be a welcoming, comfortable and caring environment where they can develop a sense of belonging.  

We hear daily from families about the harm and anguish caused by having to deal with the failing care system. They can face an uphill battle to get their basic rights and needs met, causing unnecessary stress, anxiety and trauma. They tell us they feel let down by the system which should protect their rights.

We must create a care system where people’s basic rights are met and the care they receive is appropriately funded and staffed. Care staff must be properly rewarded, trained, qualified and supported. This will help to break the cycle of vacancies and reliance on agency staff, assisting financially as well as with quality. 

We will:

• Raise awareness of quality care and rights; campaign for new rights to protect people needing care, including a legal right to the support of a relative/friend when using care and health services

• Call for reform of the sector so that the rights of people needing care are respected

• Hold the government and regulator to account in protecting the rights of people needing care

• Press for the professionalisation of the sector, including mandatory training and qualifications, and improved pay for care staff

• Call for improved standards and better regulation

Read more about our policy focus as well as updates on recent developments in policy.