Hospitals to be judged on elderly patient care

8 Mar 07
Hospitals could fail the Healthcare Commission's annual health check if they do not treat elderly patients with dignity and give them adequate help with eating.

09 March 2007

Hospitals could fail the Healthcare Commission's annual health check if they do not treat elderly patients with dignity and give them adequate help with eating.

The commission announced this week that it would inspect 25 trusts to ensure they complied with basic standards. This month's inspections will be followed by a report on dignity in the care of elderly people in the summer. The commission said trusts found to be poor would see this reflected in their annual performance rating.

The watchdog said trusts would be assessed on 24 core standards, including having systems to ensure personal dietary needs were met, that there was help with feeding and that patients' privacy was respected.

A commission survey of 80,000 adult inpatients last year found that of those needing help to eat – a fifth of those surveyed – almost 40% said that they either never or only sometimes received the help they needed.

Commission chief executive Anna Walker said the vast majority of elderly patients were well treated by the NHS. But she added: 'Sadly, it is also true that some patients are not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. That is simply unacceptable in the modern NHS.'

NHS Confederation chief executive Gill Morgan said the health service and local authorities had to work together to improve care for elderly people.

'Through embracing new technologies, maximising care at home and ensuring better co-ordination between health, housing and social care organisations, communities will be able to offer high-quality care to every elderly member of their local population,' she said.

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