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Health and Social Care Bill

I am glad to hear that. I was recently in the Hull, Haltemprice and Howden area, but unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to visit Hull—although I was, of course, pleased that other positive results came from that part of the world. My hon. Friend raises an important point. I must not get diverted too far from the topic of the amendments, but let me say that the red plate system, or the red tray system of Westminster city council, is a marvellous way of ensuring that those who need extra attention in gaining nutrition due to either lack of appetite or lack of will get that attention. It means that the caring staff have the opportunity to give that attention without the vulnerable person losing face or feeling that they have been singled out, and it works very well. There is little evidence that the Government have decided to tackle this problem. Since the new year, they have failed to take the opportunities afforded by the publication of vital signs indicators for primary care trusts, the responses to the payment by results consultation and this Bill to demonstrate their intention to do so. None of the 83 vital signs targets relate to under-nutrition. It has been pointed out to the Department of Health that the lack of recognition for support services—such as for nutrition—in payment by results acts as a barrier to the commissioning of effective care pathways. Most damning was the voting down in Committee of an amendment that would have put tackling under-nutrition on the same statutory footing as tackling hospital-acquired infections. We could have avoided that situation. I was grateful for the full support that we received for that Conservative proposal from the Liberal Democrats, but, unfortunately, the Government failed to take it up, and we still do not see it. However, I think our rescue may come through the amendments in this group that give us the Human Rights Act application. Our approach should be to come from the human rights angle, rather than for the Bill to put under-nutrition and malnutrition on the same footing as hospital-acquired infections, however important they are. The latest available statistics show that MRSA and C. difficile affected about 62,000 people, whereas the number of people in a state of malnutrition when discharged from hospital only—forgetting the care settings for now—was more than double that at 139,127. We are not wrong to be deeply exercised about that, and to be critical of the Government because there is an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of so many people.