Half of English hospitals fail to meet basic standards on care for older people

More than half of England’s hospitals are falling short in providing basic care to older people, the Care Quality Commission has found.

A damning report on the care of older people in acute trusts found what chair of the commission Dame Jo Williams said was “truly alarming and deeply disappointing.”

It found that too many hospital staff fail to ensure that older patients eat and drink properly, do not respect their dignity, and talk to them in a condescending manner.

In the highly critical report the commission concluded that more than half of all hospitals in England were …