PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
MALNUTRITION IN THE UK (25 November 1999)

That this House recognises that malnutrition in the United Kingdom is a serious public health problem; notes that up to 5,000 people in each parliamentary constituency may be malnourished, and if appropriate nutritional intervention was given to these people up to ú1 million could be saved per parliamentary constituency to be spent on other health services; further notes that up to 40 per cent. of people admitted to hospital are malnourished and the majority continue to lose weight in hospital; further recognises that the major burden of malnutrition lies in the community, where one in 10 post-operative, cancer and chronic disease patients are malnourished; accepts that many patients move between hospitals and the community on a malnutrition carousel; acknowledges that malnutrition has adverse clinical consequences such as post-surgical complications, delayed healing of wounds and impaired recovery from disease; further acknowledges that malnutrition costs the NHS millions of pounds each year in increased treatment costs and prolonged hospital stay; believes that unrecognised and untreated malnutrition has no place in a modern and dependable health service; welcomes the formation of the Malnutrition Advisory Group, made up of academics, clinicians and other health professionals to produce guidelines on the prevention, treatment and identification of malnutrition in the community; and urges Her Majesty's Government to work closely with this group to eradicate malnutrition in the United Kingdom.

Sponsored by:
Dr Howard Stoate (Labour)