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Written question asked by Navendu Mishra (Labour) on Monday, 13 April 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 April 2026. It was answered by Zubir Ahmed (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 April 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Medical Records: Diets

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce requirements to ensure that patients’ religious and philosophical dietary preferences, including vegetarian and vegan diets, are recorded in health and care records to ensure accessibility to care providers.

Answer

Regulation 14 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires care providers to ensure the nutritional and hydration needs of service users are met, which includes meeting any reasonable requirements arising from the service user’s preferences or their religious or cultural background.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance states that people's religious and cultural needs must be identified in their nutrition and hydration assessment. When a person has specific dietary requirements relating to moral or ethical beliefs, such as vegetarianism, these requirements must be fully considered and met.

Providers must be able to demonstrate to the CQC that they meet this regulation.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
126703
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Diets Medical records
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk