VODG backs open letter to government calling for human rights of disabled people to be upheld

VODG has today signed an open letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock, British Medical Association CEO Dr John Chisholm, and NHS England and NHS Improvement CEO Simon Stevens calling for the human rights of disabled people to be upheld in the provision of clinical treatment for Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The letter sets out key principles that NHS staff should follow when making treatment decisions and developing care plans for disabled people with COVID-19, including the need to “always seek to fully protect the rights of people with disabilities, now and throughout the course of this global pandemic”.

Dr Rhidian Hughes, chief executive of VODG, said:

“The principles contained in this letter are of great importance, now more than ever. Equality and human rights must be upheld as our country responds to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”