Dementia news: Calls for open visiting hours for hospital patients
The call from the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) comes after its latest report, which concluded that dementia patients are "suffering unnecessarily" while being cared for in hospitals across England and Wales.
A survey of 250 dementia carers found that just 38 per cent said they were able to visit their loved one outside of normal visiting hours.
Only a quarter (26 per cent) said they were given unrestricted access.
In its report, the NFWI said that a number of hospitals have extended their visiting hours and introduced measures to improve support for carers.