Human Rights at the core of Health and Social Care

Related Sector: Health & Social Care

This year is 70 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and 20 years since the Human Rights Act 1998 incorporated into UK law the rights contained in the UDHR.

Today on the 10th December is Human Rights Day, a day celebrated annually across the world, a date chosen to honour the UN General Assembly’s adoption on that day in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

Article 1 of the UDHR states “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Let’s stand up for equality, justice and human dignity   

Human rights are the foundation of all the work we do when working with children, young people and adults in health and social care.

While its potential is yet to be fully realised, it has withstood the test of time and is as relevant today as it was 70 years ago.  

Its values of equality, justice and human dignity are at the core of Health and Social Care and at Bond Solon, we make sure that these underpin all the work we do.  

We need to stand up for our own human rights and those of others less able to do so for themselves.

Why are human rights so fundamental?

The importance of human rights is often overlooked in the field of health and social care. It is often assumed that professionals understand them, and how their work is underpinned by their fundamental principles. 

Human rights help everyone to flourish and fulfil their potential through:

• reminding us that our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values
• reminding us that whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we are all at greater risk
• feeling empowered
• being safe and protected from harm
• being treated fairly and with dignity
• living the life you choose
• taking an active part in community and wider society

We all need to stand up for our human rights and those of others.    

Comments

For 70 years the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been a global beacon – shining a light for dignity, equality and wellbeing.

In the UK all public authorities, including local authorities and the NHS organisations, have a duty to respect and promote peoples’ human rights.

Human rights can improve experiences for everybody from service users, to workers, to service commissioners and to providers.

Human rights go to the core of what all health and social care professionals strive to do every day, both proactively and reactively around protecting and promoting the well-being of the humans they work with every day.  

There is no better way to frame all the work that health and social care professionals do than human rights.

At Bond Solon we aim to help the health and social care sector to comply with the Human Rights Act by:

• Increasing the knowledge, understanding and ability to meet duties to respect, protect and promote human rights, including by addressing inequalities
• Increasing the knowledge and understanding and ability to translate human rights concepts and protections into higher quality strategy, service design and delivery
• Improving the experience that service users, patients, clients, their families and carers receive from health and social care through embedding a human rights approach into the service delivery

It is everyone’s responsibility to defend human rights. Let’s help ensure that no one is denied their rights.
#Standup4humanrights #HumanRightsDay

Kind regards,

Bond Solon
info@bondsolon.com
020 7549 2549

This article was first published on the 10th December 2018.