The aim of this awareness week is to create a global movement that will reinforce and focus energy, activity and engagement on nutrition and hydration as an important part of quality care in health and social care settings.

Estimates suggest that 1.3 million people over the age of 65 suffer from malnutrition, with the vast majority (93%) living in the community[1]. Furthermore, one third (34%) of people aged 65 years or over are at risk of malnutrition on admission to hospital[2].

Malnourished people tend to see their GP twice as often, have three times the number of hospital admissions and stay in hospital more than three days longer than those who were well nourished[3].

Jenny Bazely, Clinical Dietetic Team Leader for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “The NHS is facing enormous challenges to avoid a major crisis, in terms of extensive overspends and decreasing quality of care. It is paramount that we continue to recognise the importance of providing adequate nutrition and hydration to our patients as part of delivering the highest quality of care.”

Clinical areas across our three hospital sites will be taking part in a selection of promotional activities to help raise awareness of the importance of nutrition and hydration. Activities will include promotion of nutritional screening to identify patients at risk and guidance for good nutritional care, including launching our new supplement drink ‘Complan’. The team will also encourage nutritional monitoring, such as weighing patients and recording food intake, and participating in the Worldwide Afternoon Tea on Wednesday 18 March.

For more information about Nutrition and Hydration week 2015, visit:www.nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk. Advice about diet and nutrition is available on: www.lnds.nhs.uk.

For more information on the importance of water please have a look at our recent blog on the subject!

You can find out about exciting events happening locally and nationally by following our Dietitians on Twitter: @UHL_DIETITIANS

References:

1. Introduction to Malnutrition,” BAPEN, accessed Nov 2014, http://www.bapen.org.uk/about-malnutrition/introduction-to-malnutrition?showall=&start=4

2. Introduction to Malnutrition,” BAPEN, accessed Nov 2014, http://www.bapen.org.uk/about-malnutrition/introduction-to-malnutrition?showall=&start=4

3. Guest, J. F., Panca, M., Baeyens, J.P., de Man, F., Ljungqvist, O., Pichard, C.,Wait, S & Wilson, L. (2011) ‘Health economic impact of managing patients following a community-based diagnosis of malnutrition in the UK’, Clinical Nutrition, Volume 30, Issue 4 , Pages 422-429, August 2011