National Minimum Standards - Your Rights
24 June 2009
Find out about the minimum standards care services have to meet and what you have a right to expect.
The following guidance is from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the regulatory body for care homes in England.
The Government has set national minimum standards for care services. The standards set out the quality of care, service and facilities you should expect from your care provider.
These are just some of the issues the national minimum standards cover:
- you have a right to be treated politely and with dignity
- you have a right to privacy for yourself, and your relatives and friends when they visit
- you have a right to deal with your own finances and spend your money in the way you choose
- you have a right to eat food that is prepared in line with your faith, and to worship when and where you want to
- you have a right to choose the food that you eat and be given the time and space to relax and enjoy your meal
- you have a right to get up in the mornings and go to bed at night when you choose
- you have a right to complain if you are not happy with the care you get.
The national minimum standards enforceable by law but are important guidelines to help providers, inspectors and people who use services to judge the standard of service.
They are designed to make sure everyone understands what's expected and so services can be measured against the same standards.
