Health care: Hospital guidelines launched

Minimum standards of care for patients requiring emergency admission to hospital were launched yesterday. The voluntary standards set out what patients can expect if they go into hospital suffering from a range of conditions such as a stroke, asthma attack or heart attack.

They include where they should be treated, by whom, the training health professionals should have received, and the kind of assessment and treatment they should be given. The standards, drawn up by the Health Services Accreditation Unit, an NHS body set up to improve the quality of care, in consultation with doctors, nurses and other professionals, were welcomed by the Royal College of Physicians. John Ward, vice-president, said: "This publication is a vital step in informing management of the difficulties of the situation."