Health and Social Care Bill

I am one of the supporters of Amendment No. 48. When my husband was in hospital when he had serious problems resulting from diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and post-stroke, he had great difficulty in swallowing in the latter years of his illnesses. On one occasion when he was admitted to hospital, the hospital had just gone over to a housekeeping policy for serving patients food. The woman who served his meals was helpful and interested. I told her why my husband had swallowing problems. She said, ““The hospital tells us nothing””. Surely the people in charge of serving meals should know what the patients’ needs are so that they are given suitable food and thickened drinks when necessary. Last year at the Royal College of Nursing’s annual congress in Harrogate, nearly half the nurses revealed that they do not have enough time during their working day to ensure that patients get good nutrition. Just under half the hospital nurses said that the lack of availability of food outside of mealtimes was a factor, while 46 per cent of the 2,000 nurses surveyed nationwide said that generally there are not enough staff to ensure that patients get the help needed to eat and drink. The executive director for nursing at the RCN said, "““Good nutrition and hydration are vital for all of us, but they are even more important for people who are ill””." In the days when there were a matron and sisters on the wards to supervise and there was not a habit of nurses chatting around the nurses’ station, patients’ nutritional needs were part of nursing. I am sure that most of us have seen trays being left out of reach of patients; food being left while patients are asleep and then taken away; patients not being helped into a suitable position to eat or drink; and unsuitable food being given. I am sure that much more can be done to enable trained volunteers to help in this important matter, but volunteers should be co-ordinated with organised rotas to help nurses. If patients are to get better quicker, those nutritional needs should become a priority. I hope something will emerge from the amendments which will be acceptable and will help all patients who need good nutrition.