Cross-party MPs condemn inadequate care of the elderly

---

There is cross-party agreement on the need for swift measures to address the treatment of elderly hospital patients, according to a group of MPs.

Following-up from the Care Quality Commission's report into the matter, Margot James MP led a backbench debate looking into NHS care of the elderly.

The report, which was based on a series of unannounced visits to hospitals throughout England, revealed a vast disparity in standards of care for elderly patients.

Of the hospitals surveyed, 20 failed to meet even basic levels of service, which James described as exposing patients to "an unacceptable risk of harm".

Patients experienced poor levels of privacy, inadequate access and response to call bells, and had been spoken to by staff in a dismissive or disrespectful manner.

One of the greatest areas of concern raised within the report related to patients' nutrition, which was cited as a serious failing of almost 20 per cent of the hospitals visited.

Malnutrition costs hospitals millions annually due to uneaten meals, and also poses serious health risks for patients.

According to Age UK, in 2007 there were 239 patient deaths recorded as a result of malnutrition experienced in hospitals.

James questioned whether the £5 allocated daily for hospitals to provide three high-quality meals was adequate, but did not directly describe increased funding as a key measure via which care could improve.

Similarly, she sought to downplay the importance of resources as a determinant of quality care, citing instances in which unacceptable levels of care had been observed on well-resourced wards.

This drew the ire of Andrew George (Lib Dem, St Ives), who pressed James to concede that higher care was more likely to be received in wards with a greater staff presence.

Rather, she cited leadership as the root cause of any institutional failures, and called for boards and chief executives of health facilities to prioritise the respect, dignity and nutrition of their patients.

James claimed that too often, they are focused on financial and clinical outcomes at the expense of the day-to-day standards practised within their wards.

The reassessment of the structure of nursing accreditation, and the enforcement of rigorous standards for health care assistants, were also cited as means through which higher levels of care could be achieved.

There is cross-party agreement on the need for swift measures to address the treatment of elderly hospital patients, and Barbara Keeley (Lab, Worsley and Eccles South) continued the discussion by recounting the disturbing level of neglect experienced by an elderly resident in her constituency.

For Keeley, the distress experienced by the patient's family as a result of his poor care was compounded by the "inadequate response" of the hospital in response to the family’s complaints. She called for a softening of the bureaucracy and the "closed ranks" culture amongst health facilities to enable complaints to be dealt with in a timely fashion.

It was a view reiterated by Nick Smith (Lab, Blaenau Gwent), who called on the NHS to give more regard to the feedback and involvement of patients and their relatives. Only then, he believes, will the opportunity be given to "truly make things better".