More than a million malnourished pensioners 'withering away in their own homes' amid rising levels of isolation

More than a million malnourished older people are “withering away in their own homes” amid rising levels of loneliness and isolation among Britain’s older population, MPs have warned.

A cross-party group of politicians urged the Government to look more closely at the issue after a report they commissioned found malnutrition among older people was set to cost the NHS and social care £15.7bn a year by 2030.

Action was “urgently required” to eliminate malnutrition among older people for the sake of the NHS and social care services – but above all for purposes of “humaneness”, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hunger said.

A limited availability of data on levels of hunger across the UK makes it difficult to quantify, the MPs said as they called for ”robust and reliable” screening tools to be scaled up so the problem can be identified, diagnosed, and treated more quickly.

Figures from the House of Commons Library show that the number of people aged 60 or over whose primary diagnosis was malnutrition more than trebled in the decade between 2005-06 and 2015-16.

The MPs estimated that social isolation of older people, coupled with rising life expectancy, meant there were now at least as many older people who were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition today as there were seven years ago – many of whom were “hidden beneath the radar”.

A ”string of setbacks” in older people’s lives, such as bereavement, illness, shop closures and a loss of community transport or meals on wheels, were thought to be main causes of loneliness and isolation.

Representatives of the adult social care sector said that more funding was needed to address the “underlying care crisis” rather than placing more duties on “already pressured” sector.

Councils meanwhile, said services for older people were being threatened by “significant funding pressures” on local authorities.

Conservative MPs recently accused Theresa May of failing to act on the NHS and social care crisis after she dismissed their concerns in a brief letter

They called her response a “disappointment”, said it was lacking “ambition” and warned that the Government was heading for election defeat unless it changed course.

The report found that targeted investment in services which protect older people from malnutrition would deliver “significant” annual savings to the NHS, by reducing the number of hospital admissions and limiting the number of days older people spend in hospital.

MPs recommended that Public Health England should be tasked with publishing data on the extent of malnutrition in older people.

They added that screening tools should be used at all levels of care, to identify and subsequently treat older people in the community who are either malnourished or at risk of being so.

The group also called on Britain’s biggest supermarkets to open up a new front in the battle against malnutrition amongst older people.

The report recommends that they introduce set times of the week of assisted shopping accompanied by a lunch club in the in-store cafe area. It said that travel costs for older people could be subsidised.

The group’s chair, Labour MP Frank Field, said: “Hidden beneath the radar there are malnourished older people in this country spending two or three months withering away in their own homes, with some entering hospital weighing five-and-a-half stone with an infection, or following a fall, which keeps them there for several tortuous days, if not weeks.

“The elimination of malnutrition amongst older people is urgently required for the sake of the NHS, and social care services, but above all for purposes of humaneness. Hence our central recommendation in this report, for a series of innovative pilot schemes that feed and care for older people.”

Margaret Willcox, president of the Association for the Directors of Adult Social Services, said the findings were ”appalling”, adding: “Hunger is a serious issue for older people, but it’s often just one symptom of wider issues, which is why it is our view that social care solutions should be personalised, and focus on the individual needs of the person in question.

“Imposing a further duty on social care providers is the wrong approach. The way forward is to deliver more personalised care, and that requires more resources, not more rules. Placing more duties on already-pressured social care staff to tackle one issue, rather than providing the funding needed to address the underlying care crisis, will hinder rather than help.”

Ms Wilcox said that if new duties are imposed on social care providers, they must be given adequate funding to ensure these are effectively carried out as a “bare minimum”.

She warned that otherwise sorting out one “human tragedy would create another” as resources are pushed “from pillar to post”.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Significant funding pressures on councils are already threatening services that older people and their friends and families rely on, particularly meals on wheels and luncheon clubs.

“The fact that the number of older people diagnosed with malnutrition after being admitted to hospital has more than trebled in a decade is deeply concerning, as is the estimated £11.9bn cost to our health and social care services of this malnutrition among the older population – a cost forecast to rise further in forthcoming years.

“Councils and providers are doing all they can to provide good care and support, including nutritious meals, however any proposed duty on providers to provide at least one hot meal every day will lead to increased costs and exacerbate significant current pressures on providers.

“Our social care system already needs an estimated £1.3 billion immediately, and in future years, and faces a £2.3 billion funding gap by 2020.”

Ms Seccombe added that increased demand on social care service and underfunding had led to shorter care visits, which she said limited the time for care workers to help prepare a hot, nutritious meal for pensioners.

“Councils have programmes and initiatives in place to tackle loneliness and work closely with voluntary organisations and faith groups to support isolated people in the community,” she said.

“Urgent extra funding for social care – key to effective prevention work – will help protect older people from malnutrition and save the NHS money.”

A government spokesperson said: “Malnutrition is a complex issue and most patients diagnosed in England have other serious health and social problems.

“We know better diagnosis and detection is key which is why we continue to train all health staff to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective treatment can be put into place.”