Hospitals and Care Homes: Hydration

Lord Campbell-Savours Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[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.

[Lord Campbell-Savours]

Is not this hands-off attitude to dealing with this matter costing the health service a fortune on urinary tract infections?

[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.