Hospitals and Care Homes: Hydration

Baroness Fookes Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, the noble Lord is right to express concern about urinary tract infections. There is a programme of work designed to bear down on that, as there is for hospital-acquired infections generally. He is absolutely right to raise that concern, which has a direct bearing on the Question on the Order Paper and the need for proper hydration at all times.

[Baroness Fookes]

My Lords, could I suggest to my noble friend an experiment being done by a hospital that I know of—namely, that within 24 hours each patient should be assessed as to whether they are likely to have any difficulties drinking or eating? When that is found to be the case, they have specially marked jugs and trays in red, which immediately alerts staff on duty to the need for extra care.