To mark World Health Day, we launched an exciting human rights in healthcare campaign #RightsSaveLives. Using film and social media, we plan to show why embedding human rights in healthcare is vital for both medical practitioners and the public.
There is good evidence from work done by the British Institute of Human Rights with multiple NHS Trusts that a rights-based approach, based on universal legal standards, can transform services.
This approach gives doctors a framework for raising concerns, puts individuals at the centre of care, and empowers patients to speak up when things go wrong. Best of all, human rights can improve decision-making and help to change the culture of an organisation even in times of austerity.
Three Powerful Films
Video Credit: RightsInfo
Our campaign will include three powerful animated films telling the real-life stories of doctors, nurses and midwives using human rights, and patients whose care was massively improved. We’ll also produce a range of articles, photography features and explainer videos – all in time for the 70th birthday of the NHS in July this year.
We are crowdfunding to raise the money to produce the animations, as we want to commission three of the UK’s top animators to create these works. Please check out our crowdfunder page here and do make a donation, no matter how big or small. You can also show your support by sharing this article on social media and spreading the word!
Here’s Who’s Already Supporting
- Baroness Finlay of Llandaff – Palliative medicine consultant, independent cross-bench member of the House of Lords and past President of the BMA
- Dr John Chisholm – Chair of the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee
- Dr Alan Mitchell – GP who sits on the Scottish Human Rights Commission
- Dr Caroline Barry – Palliative care doctor at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Sarah Simons, Junior Doctor
- Pratheep Suntharamoorthy – Junior Doctor
- Henry Hobson – Junior Doctor
- Claire Price – Midwife
- Birthrights
- Sue Ryder
- British Institute of Human Rights
- JustFair
- Pathway
Join the Campaign
If you work in health and/or human rights, please let us know if you have any great examples to share, so we can add your voice to the campaign. We welcome approaches from any organisations working in the health sector that would like to be featured in our campaign articles. Please drop us line on info@rightsinfo.org.
