Hospitals accused of starving patients

Rochdale Infirmary

Nearly 400 malnourished patients are being discharged from hospitals across Greater Manchester every month — more than anywhere else in the country.

Figures from the Department of Health show 4,766 patients treated by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Rochdale Infirmary, The Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester and Fairfield, left with either a primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition, nutritional anaemias, and other nutritional deficiencies in 2008/09.

The figure is down from 5,176 the previous year. Many patients admitted will already be malnourished.

Hospital chiefs say the trust treated more than 100,000 inpatients and 277,000 A&E cases. It is one of the largest in the country.

Jay Catterall, head of nutrition and dietetics service at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Nutrition is as important for people who aren’t ill as it is for those who are admitted to hospital. In the main, when a patient is admitted to hospital they are in an acute phase of their illness.

“This often means they struggle to eat and drink due to their illness and some come in poorly nourished due to their condition or related to their living environment.

“We would like to reassure people that we take malnutrition extremely seriously along with all aspects of patient safety.

“We are working very hard to address malnutrition and have a dedicated team of dieticians at each hospital supporting and training our nurses and doctors.”

The trust’s dieticians have also started a programme called Mission Nutrition, raising awareness and giving staff the tools to ensure patients are monitored and treated for malnutrition.

The Conservatives said medical staff were too busy filling in forms and meeting Government targets to feed patients properly. Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen O’Brien said: “It is scandalous that people come out of hospital in a worse state than they go in, particularly due to something as basic as being given decent food.

“We can’t go on like this. We need to free doctors and nurses from Labour’s bureaucracy and targets so that they can get back to doing what they do best, looking after patients.”

Nationally 185,446 patients were discharged from hospital malnourished in 2008/09 up 18% on the previous 12 months.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “It is misleading to suggest that an increase in patients being discharged from hospital with malnutrition is due to poor care or the quality of food in hospitals.

“Many patients who are admitted to hospital are already malnourished.

“Malnutrition can be a consequence of serious illness or medication. Many patients who have malnutrition and are discharged from hospital continue their care through primary care and social care.

“In 2009 a national survey found that 94.5 per cent of NHS hospitals achieved an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ rating for quality, choice and availability of food for patients.”