The Dignity in Care Campaign

The Dignity in Care campaign was launched by in 2006 by the then Minister for Care Services, Ivan Lewis. The whole purpose was to stimulate the debate around care and create a system where there is zero tolerance of abuse and disrespect for older people.

The work of the campaign continues under the new minister Phil Hope and is being promoted by Sir Michael Parkinson, the Dignity Ambassador.

It was quite clear from the early work that dignity in care was important for many people. However, many people were quite vague as to what they should expect from a service that respected an individual’s dignity.

As a result, the Dignity Challenge was born. This 10 point guide seeks to identify what a good service looks like and what people should expect from a care home that respects a service user’s dignity. These 10 points reflect what is important to people. The challenge is backed up by a series of 'dignity tests’ that can be used by providers, commissioners and people who use services to see how their local services are performing.

To establish the profile of this campaign people are encouraged to become "Dignity Champions". Anyone who is committed to this cause is welcome to join the champion’s network. All champions are being invited to the Dignity in Care network Events and will have access to a fully interactive, online network to support them in their role.

Through the online network champions will be able to easily share with each other their views, their stories, examples of best practice, training and support materials, videos, photos, details of forthcoming events and anything else they may find helpful. It is an ideal way for champions to learn new skills through this support system. Each champion carries a card promoting the 10 expectations - so that it is always close to their hearts.