Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has called for guidance from the Welsh Government on the use of CCTV in care homes.
Following news reports this week that a chain of care homes operating in Wales are to offer residents – via their families, where appropriate – the option of CCTV in their rooms, the Mid and West Wales AM raised the issue with the First Minister during the weekly First Minister’s Question Time.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mrs Evans said:
“A chain of care homes operating in Wales plans to offer CCTV in residents’ rooms to help stop abuse, neglect and theft by staff.
“On the one hand, it could prevent abuse, but I am also uneasy about filming intimate care procedures, and filming people who cannot give their own consent.”
Responding to Mrs Evans, the First Minister said:
“I do appreciate the concerns. Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) will be meeting with the care home operators next week to discuss how they plan to address the concerns that you raise.
“The inspectorate will want to understand what full consideration has been given to this proposal, particularly the difficulty of filming when someone is receiving intimate care and the impact on their dignity. I think that that needs to be resolved fully before such an initiative is taken forward. That meeting will be important next week.”
Mrs Evans, who is a member of the Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee added:
“I am pleased that CSSIW has acted so swiftly in responding to this news.
“This is a complex matter and I am pleased that the First Minister agrees with me that it must be resolved fully before the initiative progresses. Privacy and dignity, and protection from abuse, neglect and theft are all critical to providing good care for people living in residential homes.”
