1 in 3 adults at risk of malnutrition on admission to hospital,care homes & mental health units

8th April 2008

Older people won't respond to treatment if they are malnourished
Help the Aged today responded to a report from the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral  Nutrition (BAPEN) showing that of adults admitted to hospitals, care homes and mental health units, 28 per cent are at risk of suffering from overall malnutrition at the time of their admission. The report also shows an increased risk on transfer between care settings - with a 43 per cent risk on transfer from a care home to hospital.

Charlotte Potter, Senior Health Policy Officer at Help the Aged commented:

"Today’s figures reveal worrying levels of malnutrition, especially among older people going into hospital. Rates are even higher among patients admitted from other hospitals and care homes. This suggests institutions aren’t dealing with nutrition effectively.

"This is a huge concern. Older people won’t respond to treatment or recover well if they are malnourished. Providing appropriate nutritional support needs to be part of any good health service. It is impossible to talk about a world class health service when basic issues such as malnutrition are not top of the list ."