Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients in England in the last five years who have not received a meals on wheels service after leaving hospital, after they have been assessed as needing this service upon discharge, broken down by patients who were a) nourished, and b) malnourished upon discharge.

The Department does not centrally collect this data.

The Hospital discharge and community support guidance sets out that where a person may require support following discharge, National Health Service trusts should work with local authorities and partners to identify and plan for their ongoing care and support needs. The Hospital discharge and community support guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance#annex-a-discharge-to-assess---operational-process