National survey of malnutrition and nutritional care in adults

BAPEN's Malnutrition Action Group has published a report 'National Survey of Malnutrition and Nutritional Care Report' which presents the results of the October 2019 survey.

The survey took place across the month of October for the first time in 2019 and will run again in October 2020.

The purpose of the survey was to gain an understanding of the prevalence of malnutrition according to the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (‘MUST’), and the use of nutritional care across England, in all settings.

This is the largest national survey BAPEN has undertaken since 2011, and the first conducted entirely online.

It is also the first to include community settings, covering those in social care and in their own or family homes and the first to combine screening for malnutrition with surveying nutritional care interventions.

The survey recorded a high prevalence of malnutrition (42%), higher than previous national surveys (35% in care homes; 29% in hospitals).