On 1 July, our CEO, Phelim Quinn, and Standards Development Lead, Deirdre Connolly, spoke at the European Social Services Conference organised by the European Social Network.
The event focused on rethinking the future of community care beyond COVID-19.
Phelim spoke at the conference’s plenary session on the theme of ‘Ethics in community-based social services’. He discussed how in the early days of the pandemic, every day brought something new which had to be reacted and responded to quickly within services for vulnerable people. He also reinforced HIQA’s view on the need for regulatory reform, a key issue that the pandemic had brought into sharp focus. This included a comprehensive review of social care regulations with a regular review process, reform of legal framework reflective of the changing landscape in the models of health and social care provision, the introduction of regulation into other forms of care, and the development of a comprehensive and integrated social care policy.
Deirdre presented on aspects of our Guidance on a Human Rights-Based Approach in Health and Social Care Services during the ‘Safeguarding in Community Care: Protecting people to stay safe’ session. You can read the guidance here. The presentation focused on the challenges faced in implementing a human rights-based approach in health and social care services, the impact COVID-19 has had on human rights, and HIQA’s role in supporting staff to achieve a human rights-based approach in their work.
Find out more about the conference here.