A new inquiry into home care in England has identified a number of problems with basic needs often being overlooked.

The report, from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is due to be published in November, but the commission said its initial findings will reveal the most basic human rights of older people are being ignored by those responsible for their care. It said that it has found many instances of elderly people not being washed regularly and not being given proper help in eating, with some being left in soiled bedding and clothing for long periods.

The commission also found a huge turnover of staff in the sector with one woman claiming to have had 32 different carers over a two-week period. It also found that home care visits, in some cases lasted just a quarter of an hour, leaving too little time for staff to attend to even essential tasks like cooking a meal.

In one instance a patient was being put to bed at 5pm and not being helped to get back out of bed until 10am, therefore spending 17 hours in bed and some others were reported as having complained of a lack of privacy in that they were sometimes having to get dressed in front of other family members. The commission said that a fifth of the elderly people questioned said they wouldn't complain because either they didn't know how to or they were fearful of repercussions.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said he welcomed the inquiry, "which will help drive up standards of care and expose bad practice. We look forward to seeing the results".

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/human-rights-of-elderly-overlooked-by-home-care-2300054.html