Families should take on the role of nurses by helping to feed and wash patients to ease pressure on busy hospital staff, a new report has said.

As well as basic nursing duties, relatives should also be on hand to help patients to the toilet, it was claimed.

The report, created by think-tank 2020health, says such duties should be mandatory in the same way as jury service.

'Too Posh to Wash', which will be sent to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, claims that nurses are finding it impossible to meet all patients needs as the number of elderly people with complex conditions, such as dementia, rises.

Julia Manning, founder of 2020health, said the rules should be laid out in the NHS Constitution, making it compulsory for relatives and friends of patients to help unless they have a reason they are unable to - in much the same way as jury service.

She said that many stories of substandard care stem from patients not having help with basic needs such as assisting to the toilet, feeding and drinking.

She said: 'If you have 20 patients all being served lunch as the same time and 15 need help with eating, it is an impossible task.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269001/Patients-fam...
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