Patients go hungry in hospital. With elderly routinely left for hours without a drink says Care Qual

It was reported by the Care Quality Commission in October last year that nearly half of hospitals visited by undercover inspectors from the Care Quality Commission are failing to meet basic nutrition standards. Elderly patients are routinely left without anything to drink for hours, with some so dehydrated that they are being fed on drips. Some patients found themselves being fed by their family because their nursing staff were too busy to help. These appalling findings were uncovered by the Care Quality Commission during their inspections of NHS wards. The Care Quality Commission found 49 out of 100 hospitals weren’t meeting basic nutritional standards. Official figures say that dehydration contributes to the deaths of some 800 patients a year and another 300 die malnourished. In some cases the report found that: • Some Hospitals staff that had not been given any training in how to spot which patients might need help eating or drinking . • At one hospital inspectors came across a nurse telling off a frail patient for ringing a call bell. • And even more shockingly in some hospitals, the CQC inspectors had found staff had put “Do Not Resuscitate” orders inside patients’ notes without consent from them or even their families. • CQC Inspectors also found nursing staff speaking patronisingly to frail patients with dementia. It appears the worst hospitals could be fined if they fail to improve before the CQC undertakes another inspection of their hospital. For more information and to view CQC reports etc, and to visit the CQC website then please click on: http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/reports-surveys-and-reviews/themes-inspections/dignity-and-nutrition-older-people