THE NHS was last night accused of starving patients.Source: The Sun
Shock figures show a record-breaking 185,000 left hospital last year suffering from malnutrition. The number of starved patients has rocketed from 75,431 to 185,446 over the last 12 years - a 146 PER CENT increase. And the problem is getting worse. The number of malnourished patients shot up 18 per cent last year alone - the biggest annual hike in more than a decade. The figures show that just over 175,000 patients went INTO hospital last year with malnutrition.
But 185,446 patients left with malnutrition - meaning an extra 10,443 developed problems while on the wards.
The revelations will fuel fears about the quality of care in hospitals. The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust discharged 4,766 patients last year suffering from malnutrition. Fifteen other hospitals recorded more than 2,000 patients leaving with nutritional problems.
Shadow Health Minister Stephen O'Brien said: "These figures are of serious concern. Labour have done very little to protect vulnerable people."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Many patients admitted to hospital are already malnourished. Malnutrition can be a consequence of serious illness or medication."
Well, Of Course We Will, Emma…
21 hours ago
5 comments:
[Off topic, but I am sure you will appreciate the significance of this issue]
A British blogger has been intimidated by the police. The Reverend Stephen Sizer didn’t like comments and criticism made on the Seismic Shock blog, so got the police to physically intimidate the blogger, to take down that mild criticism.
This is a clear freedom of speech issue, the police should not be used to intimidate bloggers.
I urge you to publicise this issue and support Seismic Shock, as “I too am Seismic Shock”
For more information see http://modernityblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/reverend-stephen-sizer-uses-british-police-against-a-blogger/
And http://engageonline.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/anglican-vicar-uses-police-to-intimidate-blogger/
Are these figures for England or the whole UK?
T, NHS nearly always publishes separate statistics for E, W, s & NI. I'd assume that these are for E, but you can scale them up by a fifth to get whole of UK.
Not only do the figures mean that 10,443 devolped problems on the ward, it also means that the original 175,003 did not have the problem of malnutrition addressed - whatever the cause.
Nikita, that's impeccable logic.
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