Patients told to 'kick up a fuss' if doctors fail to meet new minimum standards The new minimum standards, which will be displayed in every ward and GP surgery, are being brought in to ensure patients are treated properly. Health bosses will be sacked, hospitals taken over or units shut down if the new charter, which includes patient rights such as "I will be cared for in a clean environment," are consistently breached, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will announce today. The CQC will set out plans to judge hospitals, care homes and GPs against eight patient rights that also include "I will be given enough food and drink and helped to eat and drink if I need it." CQC chairman David Prior said: "For patients and their families, these fundamental standards will be an unambiguous baseline: if they see or receive care that falls below that line, they should report it at once. We will give people who lead hospitals clear guidelines about what good care looks like so they know that patients know what to expect. The new measures follow a report into the neglect of patients at Stafford Hospital, where hundreds of people died needlessly after suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, forcing some to drink from vases, the Times reported. Katherine Murphy, head of the Patients Association, welcomed the changes but said it was "shameful that people in a caring environment have to be reminded of how to care for people."