Elderly care to be reviewed in Welsh hospitals

2010-03-31 18:41:00

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Ruth Marks, has announced that she is undertaking a review of the country’s hospitals to find out the extent to which older patients are being treated with dignity and respect. Around 40% of hospital patients in Wales are aged 65 or over. The review has been triggered by recent reports of poor care standards including mixed sex wards, neglected bed sores and older patients feeling too intimidated by staff to complain. The review will be chaired by former Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dame Deirdre Hine, and the subsequent report should be published by March 2011. Age Concern Cymru comments on the review: ‘It is vital that we establish why dignified care remains a problem for older people. The debate around dignity must continue, it cannot remain static and it should be frequently reviewed.’

In related news, the Bevan Foundation thinktank has recently published a report concluding that a number of social groups in Wales, including the elderly, ‘...consistently experience disadvantage and discrimination in almost all areas of life.’