Website of the Department of Health

National Dignity Tour

The Minister for Care Services, Ivan Lewis, announced on 20 May that he would be visiting every NHS English region over the next 6 months to raise the profile of the Dignity in Care campaign and to see examples of good practice.

• Download list showing which parts of the country the Minister will visit (PDF, 15K)

National Dignity Ambassador announced

Sir Michael Parkinson was announced as National Dignity Ambassador at the launch of a National Dignity Tour at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital in London on 20 May 2008.  This appointment and our commitment to put patient dignity and respect at the heart of the NHS Constitution, represent major advances for our campaign.

• Read Sir Michael's article in The Sun (opens new window)

12 November 2007

How to subscribe online to be a Dignity Champion

• Download instructions (PDF, 178K)

30 October 2007

Nutrition Action Plan launched

The Minister for Care Services and Older People, Ivan Lewis, has launched a ‘Nutrition Action Plan’ to tackle a wide range of issues and barriers to improving standards of nutrition in care settings. The Minister said ‘This is the first time that the organisations involved in the Nutrition Summit stakeholder group have worked with the Department of Health to produce a joint plan of action for how collectively we can address nutritional care within hospitals, care homes and the community – whether that is through the provision of ample and nourishing food, help with eating, modified diets or specialist tube feeding'.

• Nutrition Action Plan

15 August 2007

1,000 Dignity Champions and extension of campaign to mental health

Ivan Lewis announces that successful dignity in care campaign for older people now also covers people with mental health needs.  Over 1,000 people have now signed up as Dignity Champions.  The August Dignity Champions Newsletters contains stories from Dignity Champions across the country.

• Download newsletter: issue 4 - August 2007 (PDF, 367K)

Extension of SCIE Dignity in Care Practice Guide

The SCIE Dignity in Care Practice Guide has been extended to cover dignity in mental health services and now contains lots more practice examples.

• SCIE practice guide 09: Dignity in care (opens new window)

19 June 2006:  NHS Choices

Patients can now find out how their local hospital scored on dignity and respect in the most recent healthcare commission inspections through NHS Choices – the new online health information service.   Patients can also share their experiences of dignity in care with others by using this online service.

• NHS Choices (opens new window)

14 June 2007: Comic Relief research on prevalence of abuse

New research has revealed the true extent of abuse suffered by older people in the UK.

• Comic Relief research shows numbers of older people abused at home (opens new window)

16 May 2007

A summit on nutrition in the care of older people in health and social care settings was held by the Department of Health in London on 14 March 2007.

• Download report to participants (PDF, 234K)

13 February 2007: Reports from the regional campaign events

The Department has held a series of conferences at which Ivan Lewis, Minister for Care Services, launched The Dignity Challenge calling for high quality care services that respect people’s dignity; the Dignity in Care Champions Network;and the Dignity in Care Online Practice Guide.

• Report of the regional Dignity in Care events

10 October 2006: Minister's speech on guaranteeing dignity and wellbeing for older people

Action on Elder Abuse campaign

• Speech by Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, 10 October 2006: Guaranteeing dignity and wellbeing for older people

10 October 2006: Report of the dignity in care public survey

This report provides a detailed summary of the Department's online public survey on Dignity in Care, set up to hear directly from the public about their own experiences of being treated with dignity by care services, or about care they had seen being provided to others.

• Dignity in care public survey October 2006 - report of the survey

8 August 2006: Beacon Council scheme for dignity in care

On 13 July 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced the chosen themes for Round Nine of the Beacon Council Scheme.

Dignity in care will be one of those themes. Councils will be invited to apply for Round Nine beacon status in Spring 2007 with the beacon award being made to successful councils in Spring 2008.

The beacon scheme will provide an excellent vehicle and resources through which we can facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise and best practice with the ultimate aim of bringing all local authorities up to the dignity in care standards set out in the Older People's NSF and the subsequent 'Next Steps' report.    

It will be a high profile award for councils that excel and it demonstrates our commitment in the longer term to driving up standards of dignity in care.

9 June 2006: Queen Mother's Award for Dignity in Care

We see dignity in care as being a key priority for health and social care services.  Last week, we launched the Health and Social Care Awards for 2006.   We are committed to improving standards of Dignity in Care but also recognise that there are people in the service who already go that extra mile to deliver dignified services. We want to say thank you to those people and share their best practice widely.  We are very pleased that the 2006 Health and Social Care Awards will include a new Queen Mother's Award for Dignity in Care for Older People.

• Health and Social Care Awards (opens new window)

Press releases

We have issued a number of press releases to highlight key developments in this important area of Government policy

• 30 October 2007: Minister launches Nutrition Action Plan
• 29 May 2006: New guidance for care homes launched
• 17 May 2006: Government to help care workers stamp out abuse by workers
• 20 April 2006: Government asks watchdogs to ensure dignity is a priority in health and care services
• 11 April 2006: End of life care progress report
• 13 March 2006: Minister to set up new 'Dignity Guardians' group
• 2 March 2006: Government gives go ahead to watchdog to increase care home spot checks
• 7 February 2006: Workers to be registered to tackle elder abuse
• 21 December 2005: Department of Health launches consultation into care home information
• 26 July 2005: Over 700 people barred from working with vulnerable adults
• 21 July 2005: New guide published to promote equality and diversity in the NHS

Ministerial speeches

You can read here what Department of Health ministers are saying about dignity in care.

• Speech by Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, 8 June 2006: Quality care for older people
• Speech by Ivan Lewis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, 17 May 2006: Community Care Live Event
• Speech by Liam Byrne MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, 13 March 2006: Action on Elder Abuse Conference
• Speech by Liam Byrne MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services, 7 February 2006: Skills for Care conference

Feedback from survey and listening events

• What you are telling us about dignity in care: weeks nine and ten
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: weeks seven and eight
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week six
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week five
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week four
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week three
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week two
• What you are telling us about dignity in care: week one
• Feedback from the Bury listening event, 5 June 2006
• Feedback from listening events