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Two years on from the launch of Age Concern’s Hungry to be Heard campaign

Many hospitals are still not doing enough to stop older people from going hungry on hospital wards‚ according to new findings revealed today by Age Concern.

Despite heightened public awareness and a commitment from the Government¹ to tackle the problem‚ 43% of NHS Trusts have still not introduced protected mealtimes‚ according to monitoring undertaken by the charity as part of its Hungry to be heard campaign².

The charity also found that a shocking one in three NHS Trusts are still to introduce red-tray systems.  Given the effectiveness of volunteers in helping out with mealtimes‚ evidence from the campaign that eight of ten NHS Trusts have not rolled out volunteer schemes is also disappointing.

Over the past two years Hungry to be heard has exposed the national scandal of malnourished older patients in hospitals‚ following research which showed that six out of ten older people were at risk of becoming malnourished‚ or their situation getting worse‚ in hospital. Age Concern continues to encourage hospitals to put systems in place to identify patients who need assistance with eating and drinking – and then to make sure that people actually get that help. 

The campaign calls for older peoples’ mealtimes to be “protected” from non-urgent activity like ward rounds and routine tests‚ so patients are free to eat without interruptions.  It also calls for red-tray systems to be introduced to help to identify those that need assistance and ensure nursing staff give patients the attention they need to eat.

Patrick South‚ Head of Public Affairs for Age Concern‚ said:

“Tackling malnutrition should be a top priority for all NHS trusts‚ yet our evidence shows unacceptable inconsistencies across the country.   It’s shocking that many older people still find themselves trapped within a ‘postcode lottery of commitment’ to improve nutritional standards on hospital wards.

“For older people‚ missed meals in hospital can be as big a risk to safety as missing medication.  The NHS Constitution and the new Care Quality Commission must ensure that nutrition is prioritised alongside other issues affecting the safety and treatment of patients.”

The charity wants the NHS Constitution and the new health and social care regulator‚ the Care Quality Commission‚ to make nutrition a top priority for the NHS.  The regulator needs to ensure that hospitals listen to and act on the views and experiences of patients to judge how well they are performing on nutritional standards.

Recent research shows that nurses are reporting more incidents of patient safety relating to poor nutritional care.  For example‚ a patient who could only manage liquid food due to a risk of choking was given solid food during mealtimes.  While this additional reporting is welcome‚ it clearly highlights the need for ‘red tray’ systems so that greater attention and assistance can be given to patients who need help at mealtimes.

To find out more about Age Concern’s Hungry to be Heard campaign‚ please visit: www.ageconcern.org.uk/hungrytobeheard

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Notes to Editors

For more information about how Age Concern is working with local hospitals‚ please contact Anne-Marie Devaney on 020 8765 7511 or email anne-marie.devaney@ace.org.uk

Age Concern launched its Hungry to be Heard campaign last year. In exposing the national scandal of malnourished older patients in hospitals‚ the campaign voices the concerns of older people and their relatives/carers about inappropriate meals and a lack of assistance with eating for those who are unable to manage on their own. 

The seven steps for Hungry to Be Heard are:

1. Hospital staff must listen to older people‚ and their relatives and carers
2. All ward staff must become ‘food aware’
3. Hospital staff must follow their own professional codes and guidance from other bodies
4. Older people must be assessed for the signs or danger of malnourishment on admission and at regular intervals during their stay
5. Introduce ‘protected mealtimes’
6. Implement a ‘red tray system’ and ensure that it works in practice
7. Use volunteers where appropriate

Age Concern is the largest organisation in the UK working for older people.  Everyday we are in touch with thousands of older people‚ enabling them to make more of life. Our services include information and advice‚ befriending‚ day centres‚ lunch clubs‚ transport services‚ home visits‚ and advocacy services. More information can be found on our website. 
 
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1. The Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board has been established in order to drive forward implementation of a Nutrition Action Plan.
2. Age Concern’s monitoring is based on the 110 NHS Trusts in England that have responded to the campaign since it was launched.  The figures used are based on data supplied by these trusts‚
   

For general enquiries please contact us.

Journalists contact:

Media contact:
Anne-Marie Devaney/Zena Ambrose
Telephone:
020 8765 7511/7512
Out of office hours:
07071 243 243
Email:
Media@ace.org.uk