Food and drink – the basic requirements of life
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14668201111160769 |
| Published date | 17 June 2011 |
| Pages | 167-173 |
| Date | 17 June 2011 |
| Author | Monica Dennis,Judith Allen |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
Practice paper
Food and drink – the basic requirements
of life
Monica Dennis and Judith Allen
Abstract
Purpose – This paper seeks to describe the experiences of people visiting elderly relatives in hospital,
detailing the lack of care and negligent attitudes of nursing staff with regards to providing appropriate
food and drink to the elderly patients.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses responses from 94 concerned readers, who
empathised with an article published in the Daily Mail detailing negligent, unprofessional and uncaring
practice in an elderly relative’s hospital care. They each wrote to A Dignified Revolution (ADR) and
provided their own examples of either being a patient in hospital or witnessing their loved one’s distress.
This paper addresses one of the most common areas of concern: the management of hydration and
nutrition.
Findings – The vast majority of the criticismsin the e-mail correspondencethat was received by ADR was
directed towardssevere deficits in nursing practice. The experiences that were shared demonstrated not
only a contravention of the nurse’scode of practice (Nursing and Midwifery Council), but also an abuse of
older people’s human rights. They also demonstrated not only the severe harm that could be caused to
vulnerable older people and the trauma caused to relatives but also carers. Many respondents were
dismayed at the complete lack of nursing assessments and the inconsistencies in the documentation
about their relatives’ care, including foodand fluid charts, which was so fundamental to their care needs.
Originality/value – Older vulnerable people in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are being
deprived of the fundamental right to eat and drink, a right whereby the lack of nutrition and hydration
causes not only untold suffering, but can cause death. Todeprive a person of food and fluid is tantamount
toabuse, and to be able to eat and drink is a basic human right. However,perhaps the challenge is greater
than this with regard to older people. Perhaps, a significant cultural change in attitudes and behaviour
towards older people by the NHS, if not the wider society, is requiredin the first instance.
Keywords Nutrition, Hydration, Human rights, Older people, Elder care
Paper type Research paper
Background
In December 2008, the Daily Mail published an article written by a founder member of the
organisation A Dignified Revolution (ADR). It was about the experiences of an elderly
relative’s hospital care (Morgan, 2008).
The paper struck a chord with many concerned readers, who had seen and experienced
similar examples of negligent, unprofessional and uncaring practice. In total, 94 people from
around the UK wrote to ADR and provided their own examples of either being a patient in
hospital or witnessing their loved one’s distress. Of the correspondence that was received,
just under half (43 of the 94) of the respondents were nurses, many of them putting forward
what they perceived to be factors that contributed to the provision of poor care. One of the
most common areas of concern was the management of hydration and nutrition – which is
the subject of this paper.
DOI 10.1108/14668201111160769 VOL. 13 NO. 3 2011, pp. 167-173, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1466-8203
j
THE JOURNAL OF ADULT PROTECTION
j
PAGE 167
Monica Dennis and
Judith Allen, both are based
at A Dignified Revolution,
Cowbridge, UK.
The authors would like to thank
Charis Bailey for collating the
data which enabled them to
write this paper. They are
grateful to Founder Member,
Lorraine Morgan for submitting
her case study to the Daily Mail
and to all the people who took
the time to contact A Dignified
Revolution to share their
experiences and views as a
result of its publication.
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