Need for Malnutrition guidelines shocking

6.06.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 28th Feb 2006

Steve Webb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, responding to new guidelines from the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) which says that all hospital patients should be routinely screened for malnutrition and offered specialist nutritional support if required, said "It is shocking that in one of the world's richest countries the NHS is having to check people for malnutrition."

Steve went on to say "This is not simply an issue about levels of pensions and benefits, but a much deeper question about the way we as a society neglect too many older and vulnerable people.The Department of Health should launch an urgent investigation into how these levels of malnutrition could have arisen, and urgent remedial action should be taken."