Written question asked by Baroness Elliott of Whitburn Bay (Labour) on Friday, 2 September 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 September 2016. It was answered by David Mowat (Conservative) on Monday, 12 September 2016 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Older People: Dehydration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of dehydration on the (a) safety and (b) health of elderly people living in care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: In 2014 the Government updated the requirements of regulation with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide greater clarity about how the nutritional and hydration needs should be met. The new requirements are set out in Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2015. The CQC can prosecute for a breach of this regulation if a failure to meet the regulation results in avoidable harm to a person using the service, or a person using the service is exposed to significant risk of harm.

Secondary information