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Malnutrition remains a problem for elderly hospital patients

NHS Confederation deputy policy director Jo Webber says the NHS has made huge strides on nutrition but more still remains to be done.

She was responding to a report from Age UK which claims that one in three nurses would not trust the NHS to care for an elderly relative.

Ms Webber said: "Nutrition is an important part of helping people to get better, as well as a vital indicator of how well patients are cared for in hospital.

“Considerable progress has been made in ensuring that patients are fed properly in NHS hospitals although more can always be done and improvement should be ongoing. A large part of addressing the issue is making sure that all providers of care have systems in place that enable them to recognise those at risk on admission.

“Initiatives like red tray systems to highlight when someone is in need of help with eating and dedicated meal times so patients can be given proper attention, alongside a growing knowledge of the extent of recovery benefits of good diet, will all continue to contribute towards improving this vital element of care."

Age UK website

Access the full report from the Age UK website.

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