Nutrition In Care Homes

EDM number 111 in 2006-07, proposed by Paul Burstow on 15/11/2006.

That this House is alarmed that over 60,000 older people in care homes may be malnourished; is concerned that, according to the British Association of Parental and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN), the cost to the taxpayer of malnutrition in long-term care is an estimated £2.6 billion a year; welcomes the Food Standards Agency Nutrient and Food Based Guidelines `Food Served to Older People in Residential Care' as being a step towards addressing this problem, but notes that these recommendations must become enforceable standards; believes that all residents should be screened for malnutrition on admission and that proper training should be made available to staff to deal with the special dietary requirements of many older people in care; notes the good work being done by many organisations, including the Caroline Walker Trust, on developing guidance and meal plans for residents in care homes and by BAPEN and the National Association for Care Catering on developing screening tools for use in care homes; and calls on the Department of Health to ensure all of this work is considered in its review of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People this year to establish clear nutritional standards.

This motion has been signed by a total of 70 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.