Last week BSNA were delighted to be able to take part in PPP’s London event bringing together close to 300 attendees from across the health and social care sectors.  Attendees were invited to hear from key system leaders, to debate and interact, and tackle some of the biggest challenges facing England’s health and care system, and throughout the day BSNA were busy hosting an exhibition stand to talk about the challenge of disease related malnutrition across health and social care. 

Malnutrition is a serious problem in the UK today, with more than 3 million people currently estimated to be malnourished, or at risk of malnutrition and around 98% of whom are living outside the hospital setting.

Unlike malnutrition arising from social or economic causes, disease-related malnutrition is a condition characterised by inadequate intake of energy, protein, and/or micronutrients, that leads to decreased muscle mass, reduced physical and mental function and poorer clinical outcomes from disease. As a cause and consequence of illness, it is vital that patients at risk of malnutrition receive the adequate nutritional care that is critical for improving their overall health outcomes.

The annual health and social care costs associated with malnutrition are estimated at nearly £20 billion in England alone.

As recognised by NHS England’s Commissioning Guidance on Nutrition and Hydration, malnutrition can result in increased demand for GP services, both in- and out-of-hours, longer and more frequent hospital stays and decreased quality of life.[5] 

Malnutrition can affect all ages, but it is particularly prevalent in older age, with 1 in 10 older people at risk of malnutrition – equivalent to 1 million people in the UK.

The conference was a fantastic opportunity to get attendees to take part in our mini quiz – with many responses underestimating the cost of malnutrition across the UK despite a good understanding of how many patients are affected and we were pleased to share with attendees both the impact of malnutrition across major conditions that present significant demand on the system, and how the malnutrition pathway can support effective nutritional care.