The Welsh Government has called for spot-checks to make sure health boards are treating vulnerable patients with dignity.

Health minister Lesley Griffiths wants NHS watchdog Healthcare Inspectorate Wales to carry out unannounced inspections at care facilities and hospitals.

The move follows concerns raised by the Older People's Commissioner for Wales in a report published earlier this year.

The study, entitled Dignified Care?, examined whether older people in NHS hospitals in Wales received care in a "dignified and respectful way’’. It identified a number of failings and made recommendations to ensure improvement.

Ms Griffiths said: "The Welsh Government is taking a zero tolerance approach to this issue, while working with NHS staff to enable them to spend more time with older patients, giving them the respect and help they deserve.

"To ensure compliance with recently revised standards, I am asking Healthcare Inspectorate Wales to carry out unannounced spot-checks on standards of dignity in care for older people in our hospitals.

"Further commitments outlined in our manifesto for this Government include a national customer care programme which will ensure proper information gets to patients, and that decisions are clearly communicated both to patients and their families.’’ Care of some elderly hospital patients was described as being "shamefully inadequate’’ in the Dignified Care? report, published in March.

It was carried out after a public consultation and a poll of 1,500 people, which found one in five either knew someone who had a negative experience of hospital care or had one themselves.

Key problems included poor response times to "continence needs’’, sharing of patients personal information within earshot of others, and too many older people not being discharged "in an effective and timely manner’’.

Following the report, Older People's Commissioner Ruth Marks said fundamental change was needed.

"Poor practice must never be tolerated,’’ she added. "There are examples of effective leadership and good practice and it is vital these are built on and become the norm.’’ Ms Griffiths said a number of schemes were already under way to bring about improvements in care, such as the Free to Lead, Free to Care programme, which allows hospital ward sisters and charge nurses to manage their wards.

A Welsh Government spokesman added: "To further ensure dignity of patients, since 2008, £300 million has been invested in the provision of new hospitals providing single-sex wards, and existing hospitals must have separate areas for male and female patients.

"Improvements in care are evident as a result of the 1,000 Lives Campaign, which had a specific aim to reduce pressure ulcers. In some wards, pressure ulcers have been eliminated altogether.’’