Fifth of NHS hospitals breaking law over care of elderly patients

The study, from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), found half of hospitals were failing to provide all-round good nutrition to elderly patients while 40 per cent did not offer dignified care.

Of 100 hospitals facing unannounced inspections between March and June, 49 were found to have minor, moderate or major concerns about nutritional standards for elderly people.

Inspectors found several “key themes” in hospitals that failed to meet essential standards on dignity including call bells being put out of the reach of patients or not responded to quickly enough, staff speaking to people in a “condescending or dismissive way” and curtains not being closed around beds when personal care such as washing was done.

Those hospitals that failed on essential standards for nutrition were frequently found not to be providing enough assistance with eating, while some patients had their meals interrupted.

CQC chair Dame Jo Williams said staff must not prioritise processes over people, adding: “Often, what is needed is kindness and compassion, which cost nothing.”

The CQC said inspectors saw “too many cases where patients were treated by staff in a way that stripped them of their dignity and respect”. This included patients being spoken over or not to, being “ignored for hours on end” or not given assistance to do very basic things such as eat and drink.

In two hospitals, Alexandra Hospital in Worcestershire and Sandwell General Hospital in the West Midlands, inspectors had major concerns about the way people were fed and given drinks.

Another 15 hospitals faced moderate concerns including Barnsley and a further 32 were listed with minor concerns. Minor concerns over both dignity and nutrition were raised at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds.

Just 45 trusts out of 100 were listed with no concerns about dignity, respect or nutritional standards for elderly people. These included Airedale, Bradford, Doncaster and Bassetlaw, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole, Sheffield and York.