A REDDITCH charity has won multiple awards for a national campaign to raise awareness of malnutrition.
Astwood Bank-based Bapen picked up five awards for the campaign which was run in collaboration with the Malnutrition Task Force.
The first of its kind, it was run in 2018 and there are plans to repeat it again this year.
Not only that but its ‘Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool is not only the UK’s most commonly used screening tool but popular in many other countries across the world.
“We and our members are passionate about ensuring that good nutritional care is delivered in all health and social care settings,” said a spokesperson.
“We work with our members and key national partners to ensure all individuals who are malnourished, or at risk of malnutrition, in any healthcare or social setting are identified early and receive appropriate treatment.”
The charity has worked with charities like Age UK to identify malnutrition among the UK’s elderly population as well as other organisations like the NHS.
“People think malnutrition is something related to poverty in Third World countries,” said the spokesperson.
“However it is quite prevalent in the UK; one in three people over the age of 55 is at risk or is suffering from malnutrition while low income families are also at risk.”
Even people who may look well fed could be at risk because they are not eating the right sort of healthy food.
Malnutrition is recognised as a public health problem, estimated to cost at least £23.5billion in the UK – about 15 per cent of the total expenditure on health and social care.
Bapen says the annual health and social costs are estimated to be three times greater for a malnourished patient – £7,408 – than a patient who is not malnourished – £2,155.
For more information visit www.bapen.org.uk
