In the UK residents of long term care facilities have all the rights to vote. Every resident in a home care should be provided with adequate support to allow exercise of their civil rights. This includes the right to vote in any election. Providing residents with adequate support to allow their voting is part of allowing high quality service. This assists the residents to participate in the society and therefore make their correct choice. The electoral commission in the UK has provided a guide to all home care managers with details on the residents voting. Principles of dignity and potential realisation which are part of voting underpin the national care standards. There are several home care standards which work in relation to supporting home residents in their voting. Examples of the standards include the principle of expressing your basic right and the principle of making a choice. Every home care should support residents to register for voting whether they think that the residents have the capacity to do so or not. Can you still vote if you are a care home resident? Any resident can participate in any UK election. This only happens if they are above 18 yrs of age and if they are in the register of voters. Furthermore, for anyone to vote he/she should be a British citizen, a citizen of the Irish republic or a qualifying commonwealth citizen. Everyone can only vote in an election if they have registered before the due date. If a resident wishes to participate in an election, the manager of a resident home must offer adequate support that would enable them to vote. A resident with any degree of mental or no degree of metal capacity have to be in the register of voters. However, the resident has to make the decision concerning whether to vote or how participate in the election and there should be no other person influencing the decision. You should never make any assumption concerning a person’s capacity to vote or try to use one size is suitable for all principle for residents in a home care. For example, if a person has dementia, this does not mean that they cannot participate in an election. Is there any resident’s registration? Electoral registration office sends the annual canvass form to every care home every year and therefore most residents would be in the register. The electoral body uses the form to update the electors register each year. If a resident occurred in the annual canvass and their registration details have not changed. Then the electoral body will register them to vote. Any resident whose name lacks in the annual canvass form or anyone who have joined the home care after the completion of the form must have completed a registration form to ensure their voting in the coming election. If you are offering any support to some residents who are using your service, you should check whether they are in any need of support to register as voters or to check whether they have made the correct arrangements to vote. If you are not certain of thenursing care homes holt residents’ registration, you should make all the arrangements to contact the electoral registration office within your locality.
Related Articles -
nursing, care, homes, holt,
|