On July 30, 2024, Levan Ioseliani, Public Defender of Georgia, met with Natalia Voutova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia.

The human rights situation in the country and measures to be implemented to establish gender equality were discussed at the meeting.

They also talked about the project "Reinforcing gender equality and implementing GREVIO recommendations to combat violence against women and domestic violence in Georgia", which aims to raise public awareness of gender equality, to increase women's access to preventive and protection mechanisms, and to promote improvement of criminal prosecution of all forms of violence against women.

The parties expressed their willingness to continue effective and result-oriented multi-year cooperation between the Council of Europe and the Public Defender’s Office.

Tomás Quintana ha participado en la lectura de los Fueros de León en un acto organizado por la Sociedad para el Fomento de la Cultura de Amigos de León y la Fundación Academia de las Artes, las Letras y las Ciencias de León. Previamente, tuvo lugar el nombramiento del mantenedor de este año, que en esta ocasión fue Fernando de Arvizu y Galarraga, Académico de Honor de la Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación Española. 

Il Coordinamento Nazionale dei Difensori Civici delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome Italiane annuncia la pubblicazione di nuove FAQ relative al procedimento di riesame dinanzi al Difensore civico in materia di accesso civico generalizzato, ai sensi dell’art. 5, comma 8, del d.lgs. 33/2013.

In seguito alla riunione svoltasi presso la sede dell’Autorità il 1° aprile 2024, è emersa la necessità di chiarire alcune tematiche critiche riguardanti il procedimento di riesame, al fine di garantire l’uniformità di operato tra i Difensori regionali. Per rispondere a queste esigenze, l’Autorità Nazionale Anticorruzione (ANAC), con il supporto del Garante per la protezione dei dati personali e della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri – Dipartimento della funzione pubblica, ha redatto e approvato una serie di nuove FAQ.

Le FAQ, approvate dal Consiglio dell’ANAC il 10 luglio 2024, sono ora disponibili sul sito istituzionale dell’ANAC. Esse offrono indicazioni chiare e dettagliate su vari aspetti del procedimento di riesame, contribuendo così a uniformare le pratiche tra i diversi Difensori civici.

Per consultare le FAQ, visitare il seguente link: https://www.anticorruzione.it/-/I-accesso-civico-c.d.-generalizzato-artt.-5co.-2-e-5-bis-d.lgs.-33/2013-

“In qualità di Presidente del Coordinamento Nazionale dei Difensori Civici delle Regioni e delle Province Autonome Italiane, ha dichiarato Marino Fardelli, desidero esprimere il mio sincero ringraziamento all’ANAC per il fondamentale lavoro di elaborazione delle nuove FAQ riguardanti il procedimento di riesame dinanzi al Difensore civico in materia di accesso civico generalizzato. Questo processo segna un ulteriore passo avanti nella valorizzazione della difesa civica italiana, dimostrando la nostra capacità di essere protagonisti tra le Istituzioni.

“Inoltre, prosegue Fardelli, voglio ringraziare i colleghi Difensori Civici per il loro prezioso contributo in questo processo di collaborazione con l’ANAC. Un ringraziamento speciale va alla collega Avv. Paola Baldovino, Difensore Civico della Regione Piemonte, per il suo ruolo cruciale nel garantire che la difesa civica italiana possa svolgere il proprio compito di protezione dei diritti dei cittadini con maggiore chiarezza e uniformità nel rapporto con l’ANAC.

Con questo riconoscimento formale da parte dell’ANAC, si è rafforzato il ruolo dei Difensori Civici come garanti dei diritti, assicurando che le pratiche di accesso civico generalizzato siano gestite con la massima serietà e trasparenza a beneficio dei cittadini.

nota per il Coordinamento naz difensori_297_signed_signed – NOTA ANAC

A woman has been repaid over £37,000 after England’s health Ombudsman found that a healthcare provider failed to properly assess and fund her mother’s care.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is urging Integrated Care Boards (ICB) to learn from mistakes and take action to prevent other families facing unnecessary financial strain after a case investigated by the Ombudsman highlighted the issue.

A 61-year-old woman from Beverley, who wishes to remain anonymous, and her late mother financed the latter’s continuing healthcare (CHC) – which are care packages for adults arranged and funded by the NHS - between May and November 2018. This was due to a failure by East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to fully arrange and fund the care.

The woman and her mother suffered substantial financial loss and also acute anxiety about money running out.

The mother had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anxiety, hypoxia, a low blood oxygen condition causing shortness of breath, and a tremor.

The woman felt she had to coordinate care and look after her mother with little support from the CCG, now known as Humber and North Yorkshire ICB.

The CCG began assessing the mother on 11 May 2018 and agreed funding for 21 hours of care a week. In October funding was agreed for 24-hour care but a Personal Health Budget (PHB) was not finalised before she died on 1 November 2018, aged 81.

The woman complained about the money she was owed for her mother’s care, but the CCG only reimbursed her for £2,418.81.

PHSO’s investigation found avoidable delays in establishing the PHB once funding was agreed. The Ombudsman also found that an assessment could have been completed earlier for night care.

Other failings included:

• communication not meeting guidance
• the mother’s health needs not appropriately assessed
• a clinical review not completed until September
• reimbursement guidance not followed and case circumstances not considered.

The Ombudsman recommended the ICB pay £26,382.73 plus interest to the woman for costs incurred and unreimbursed care, acknowledge its failings and produce an action plan to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated. 

The ICB has complied with our recommendations and after undertaking an internal assessment paid £37,124.47 to the woman.

The woman said:

“We were concerned that we were going to run out of money. We knew the care she needed and how much it would cost.

“Over that summer I was trying to care for my mother whilst working full-time. It’s those kinds of memories that will haunt me. She should have had proper carers and I was filling gaps because we couldn’t afford to get carers.

“In the midst of this I had a bereavement and lost a really close friend very quickly, and I was also supporting my son.

“It was just a very difficult time and my mother was very anxious and very fragile.

“The Ombudsman helped enormously. They explained to me what should have happened and that’s the first time anybody did that, except for the initial assessment.

“I hate the thought of another person going through the stress and financial worry we suffered. I hope me complaining helps to change things for the better so that this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rebecca Hilsenrath said:

“Losing a parent is among the most difficult experiences any of us will undergo. That trauma should not be needlessly exacerbated by having to shoulder the immense emotional and financial burden of providing care due to a lack of proper assessment. These women should never have had to pay for this care and should never have had to suffer the consequent anxiety about running out of money.”

The Ombudsman published its report Continuing Healthcare: Getting it right first time in 2020, which outlined common failings seen in NHS CHC. The report found that failings, like those in this case, often resulted in families funding care when the NHS should have.

Rebecca Hilsenrath added:

“When there are errors in healthcare, it is vital they are recognised and addressed for everyone’s sake. Every complaint we uphold represents an error the NHS has investigated but failed to address. Our investigations aim to encourage learning and service improvements, so that the NHS can avoid placing financial strain on other families with complex health care needs.”