Hospital admissions for malnutrition ‘staggering’

HOSPITAL admissions for malnutrition are on the rise in Birmingham.

Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary described the findings as “staggering and terrible”.

Figures reveal malnutrition was the main or secondary cause for 185 admissions at trusts across our city in 2018/19. That is up from 180 the year before.

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said: “This is one of the richest countries in the world. No one here should ever be going hungry.

“But for people to be so malnourished they end up in hospital - that is staggering and terrible. Behind these statistics lie enormous misery and stress. They should be a wake-up call for the government to urgently tackle the scandalous levels of poverty in our country.

“The next Labour government will end the cuts, stop the roll out of Universal Credit and ensure our social security system supports any one of us in our time of need.”

Across Birmingham there were 110 hospital admissions because of malnutrition at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in 2018/19.

The remaining 75 were at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. It is important to note the number of hospital admissions does not reflect the number of patients because a patient can be admitted more than once in a year.

Across England there were 10,183 hospital admissions because of malnutrition in 2018/19.

That was up from 9,307 such admissions the year before and is the highest number on modern record.

Figures go back as far as 2008/09, when there were 3,773 admissions. The number has risen every year since then.

A spokesperson from the British Nutrition Foundation said: “The prevalence of malnutrition is unacceptably high, and comes at a huge cost.

“The risk of health issues from malnutrition are increasingly recognised, including higher risk of infection, slower wound healing, reduced muscle strength and depression.

“It is important to ensure that strategies addressing nutritional care in community, health and social care settings are in place to identify and support those at risk of malnutrition and dehydration from an earlier stage.”

The Department for Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.