Hospitals and Care Homes: Hydration

Baroness Barker Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, I asked my officials that very same question. I thank my noble friend. My advice is that all preregistration training for nurses contains instruction and information about hydration and how to make sure that people have enough to eat and drink while in a care setting.

[Baroness Barker]

My Lords, the Minister said that the CQC has enforcement powers. How long after a CQC inspection reveals abuse of vulnerable people is it required to take enforcement action?

[Earl Howe]

I think that my noble friend asked about the period of time after an inspection. The CQC has flexibility depending on what it finds. As my noble friend will know, there is a whole succession of increasingly strong measures that it can take, depending on the concern. It can mandate immediate action to be taken, and in those circumstances it will return, typically, for a further inspection within a fairly short space of time to ascertain whether the action has been carried out.