Huge rise in hospital beds in England taken up by people with malnutrition | Society | The Guardian

Huge rise in hospital beds in England taken up by people with malnutrition | Society | The Guardian ‘Poverty is causing vulnerable people … to go hungry and undernourished,’ shadow health secretary says. ‘Poverty is causing vulnerable people … to go hungry and undernourished,’ shadow health secretary says. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Denis Campbell Health policy editor Friday 25 November 2016 17.26 GMT Last modified on Friday 25 November 2016 22.00 GMT View more sharing options Shares 3,199 The number of hospital beds in England taken up by patients being treated for malnutrition has almost trebled over the last 10 years, in what charities say shows the “genuinely shocking” extent of hunger and poor diet. Official figures reveal that people with malnutrition accounted for 184,528 hospital bed days last year, a huge rise on 65,048 in 2006-07. The sharp increase is adding to the pressures on hospitals, which are already struggling with record levels of overcrowding. Critics have said the upward trend is a result of rising poverty, deep cutbacks in recent years to meals on wheels services for the elderly and inadequate social care support, especially for older people.