The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) have today launched an online toolkit to improve the consumption of water by patients in hospitals.

The Hospital Hydration Best Practice Toolkit, which is part of the RCN’s Nutrition Now campaign to improve standards of nutrition around the UK, explains how patients’ access to drinking water can be improved and advises healthcare staff how to minimise the risk and potential harm that dehydration can cause.

The toolkit’s 13 factsheets also contain evidence showing how water can help with the prevention, treatment and management of a wide range of conditions and diseases including cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, urinary tract infections and pressure sores.

Debbie Dzik-Durasz, the RCN spokeswoman for the Nutrition Now campaign, said:

”Water is a “forgotten nutrient” and the factsheets, which contain practical advice and clinical evidence, are a helpful and timely reminder of how vital water is to the human body and to the care we give patients.

“The toolkit is aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of drinking water and is the beginning of a long-term piece of work by the RCN and the NPSA to raise awareness of the importance of good fluid management in hospitals.”

The toolkit contains the following tips for nursing staff:

• Change water jugs regularly (a minimum of three times a day) so that drinking water is always available, appealing, fresh and cool.
• Be cautious when offering squash or cordials to patients. They are useful when diluted, fortified and sugar-free. Avoid serving strong, high-sugar solutions.
• Water is inexpensive: a hospital patient could drink two litres of tap water a day for nearly five months and cost the NHS just the price of a first class stamp.

The toolkit has been developed by several organisations including the RCN, the NPSA, the Hospital Caterers Association, the Patients Association, NHS Supply Chain, the Healthcare Commission and Water UK.

The NHS advises that, where clinically appropriate, patients should drink 2.5 litres of water a day.

The toolkit can be downloaded from http://www2.rcn.org.uk/campaigns/nutritionnow/tools_and_resources/hydration.