Long-term social care and deinstitutionalisation

Key points

The EESC:

• calls for awareness of the situation of people living in institutions to be raised, through consistent and disaggregated data, and for human rights indicators to be established;
• calls on Member States to put anti-discrimination measures in place and to promote the right of people with disabilities to participate fully in society and the economy, as part of National Reform Programmes (NRPs);
• recommends that Member States use European Structural and Investment Funds to promote the transition from institutional to community-based care, to develop social and health services and to train support services staff;
• recommends that Member States reform long-term care on the basis of cost-effectiveness analysis, adopting a long-term approach which includes investing in people and services instead of cutting financial resources;
• highlights that "deinstitutionalisation" is a process which requires a long-term political strategy and the allocation of adequate financial resources to develop alternative support services in the community;
• recommends that professionals throughout Europe be trained to work in community-based services and that they be informed about the deinstitutionalisation process;
• recommends that community-based services be available locally and that they be affordable and accessible for all;
• recommends that partnerships be built between all stakeholders involved in the deinstitutionalisation process; and
• urges the Member States to establish independent and efficient inspection and monitoring services, to ensure compliance with regulatory and quality standards for care services.