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Health and Social Care Bill

I am pleased that we have a chance to debate this subject. I can understand the irritation of the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) at being denied an opportunity to discuss health care-acquired infection again. Although we did not support some of his amendments in Committee, it was their style, rather than the thought behind them, that was problematic. However, he has used this opportunity to raise an important subject. The hon. Gentleman mentioned BAPEN, whose survey last November concluded that more than one in four adults admitted for stays in hospitals, mental units or care homes is at risk of malnutrition. He said that the Government have rubbished those figures, but the Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Bury, South (Mr. Lewis), who has responsibility for care services, said:"““BAPEN's research has provided us with consistent information on the scale of malnutrition in the community for the first time. This work highlights the fact that on being admitted to a hospital or a care home it is important that every older person is given a nutritional screening which is reviewed on a regular basis.””" That point relates not just to older people. It appears that there is some division on the matter. I see that there is to be a nutrition action plan, but I can find little by way of an update on it since the announcement that it was being set up. I am not clear whether those involved have even met yet. I was struck by an article called ““Behind the Medical Headlines”” by Dr. McKinlay, who is a consultant gastroenterologist at Aberdeen Royal infirmary. I do not think that malnutrition is any different a problem in Scotland; in fact, BAPEN said that it was fairly consistent across the four nations. The article was even more damning. It was based on a survey of prospective in-patients at a Dundee hospital and it said that more than 40 per cent. of acute admission patients are undernourished and 75 per cent. of patients lose weight during their hospital admission. That is a worrying statistic. The article goes on to discuss some of the reasons for that and we must also bear in mind that patients are not moving around and burning off energy.