Hospitals need to change to ensure older people are treated with dignity, says commission

An independent commission has called for fundamental changes so that hospitals and care homes ensure that all patients and residents are treated with dignity and respect.

The commission, set up by the NHS Confederation, Age UK, and the Local Government Association, spent eight months reviewing and gathering evidence. Its draft report, Delivering Dignity, sets out 48 recommendations to stamp out undignified care. These include:

• Ensuring that hospitals recruit staff on the basis of their compassionate values as well as their clinical and technical skills

• Giving ward sisters a leadership role, with the …