A report by the NHS in to the number of patients leaving hospital malnourished shows that numbers have now risen to record levels.
According to the Guardian, the elderly are the group most at risk. Hospitals stand accused following the report of failing to ensure that patients eat properly and there are demands to improve the nutritional quality of the health service meals provided.
The figures state that last year, around 175,000 people entered hospital in a state of malnourishment but this increased to 185,500 in a similar condition on discharge. This raises obvious concerns as to whether patients are being provided with appropriate levels of care while in hospital. Based on these figures, over 10,000 people were more malnourished upon leaving hospital than entering, and this is having gone in for medical treatment which should have improved their condition.
Elderly people, many of whom are already frail, are particularly vulnerable with charities such as Age Concern and Help the Aged claiming that as many as six out of 10 pensioners being admitted to hospital risk becoming malnourished on the wards. Andrew Harrop, head of public policy for the charities stated “Nutritious food and help with eating is an essential part of basic care which must be recognised by all staff….(malnourishment) leads to longer stays in hospitals, need for more drugs and more post-operative complications.”
By failing to ensure that patients are properly fed and watered, hospitals are increasing the chances of further medical problems occurring with their treatment in hospital and in discharging people from hospital in a state of malnourishment it is highly likely that the patient’s defence systems, particularly for those who are elderly, will not work as well and so they will struggle to fight off complications such infections, meaning that they have to be readmitted to hospitals.
