Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of malnutrition in the elderly amongst (a) older people, (b) their relatives and (c) health and care staff.
Government advice is that most people should follow a diet in line with the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. Those who are underweight may need more energy or nutrient-dense foods and drinks. The Eatwell Guide is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide
The National Health Service website provides information to help raise awareness of the common signs of malnutrition and seeking treatment for individuals and carers. This is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/malnutrition/
Health Education England (HEE) have a number of e-learning sessions covering diet and nutrition across the life course that can be accessed via the e-Learning for Healthcare platform. The HEE population wellbeing portal offers free access to education, training and professional development resources, to help deliver improvements in public health and prevention. HEE are currently developing a healthier weight competency framework.