Care of older people in their homes is so poor their human rights are being overlooked, an inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found.

The inquiry is investigating how well over-65s who receive homecare visits are looked after in England. The commission says it has uncovered worrying cases of neglect and examples of lack of respect for older people's privacy and dignity. Its full report will be published in November.

After looking at the evidence, it says there are "major problems" in the home care system. It describes cases of people being left in bed for 17 hours, or more, between care visits and a failure to wash people regularly. It received reports of people being left in filthy nightwear and bedding after a homecare visit, or without a wash or hair wash for several weeks.

Visits are sometimes so brief, the report says, that people have to choose between having a cooked meal or a wash.

The short visits also mean that staff have to rush tasks like washing and dressing, which frustrates both the elderly people and care staff.

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