Four out of 10 older people admitted to hospital are malnourished on arrival. Patients over the age of 80 admitted to hospital have a five times higher prevalence of malnutrition than those under the age of 50.
Whether the condition goes unnoticed, or untreated, and worsens during their hospital stay is a lottery. Older people and their relatives are left worried and not knowing whether they will given appropriate food or help with eating it.
It is a national scandal that six out of 10 older people are at risk of becoming malnourished, or their situation getting worse, in hospital.
This is extremely serious because patients who receive good nutrition may have shorter hospital stays, fewer post-operative complications and less need for drugs and other interventions.
Despite everyone recognising that there is a problem, it persists. The problem does not need more legislation and more guidance, it needs to be tackled by changes in culture and practice within the NHS.
Until malnutrition in hospitals is ended, the lack of respect for the dignity of older people will continue to be a national scandal.
Age Concern’s seven steps to end malnutrition in hospitals
- Hospital staff must listen to older people. Their relatives and carers and act on what they say.
- All ward staff must become ‘food aware’ and take responsibility for the needs of older people in hospital.
- Hospital staff must follow their own professional codes and guidance from other bodies.
- Older people must be assessed for the sign of danger of malnourishment on admission and at regular intervals during their stay.
- Introduce ‘protected mealtimes’ where all non-urgent activity—such as ward and drug rounds, tests, etc.—is not allowed to happen during mealtimes.
- Implement a ‘red tray’ system that allows staff to easily recognise those older people who need help with eating at mealtimes. Ensure that it works in practice.
- Use trained volunteers where appropriate to provide additional help and support at mealtimes.
Peter Simpson, Information and Headquarters Manager of Age Concern Colchester said, “It is extremely worrying that many older people going into hospital are already malnourished. This may be through their inability to look after themselves but it could also be that they do not have enough money to buy the foods to maintain a healthy diet, and, when they go into hospital, a lack of care in seeing that they eat properly could lead to further problems in the recovery of the patient.”
An example of the type of situation that was encountered:
Mr A was admitted into hospital before Christmas 2005 and had surgery, but didn’t pick up afterwards.
His meals were being delivered to his bed with a cover on, and then taken away again with the cover on. No-one was checking that he was eating.
He was depressed about his illness and so had stopped eating. When Mr A’s daughter raised this with the hospital they offered to put her father on a course of antidepressants. She refused and insisted that they give him confidence training and ensured that he was eating his food. He then improved dramatically.
Link to the Age Concern 'Hungry to be Heard' Campaign
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