UK lies bottom of community meals league

According to the research compiled by the Irish National Council for Ageing and Older People (NCAOP), just 2% of people aged 65 or over in the UK have access to meals (which includes meals-on-wheels, luncheon clubs or day care). This compares with 2.4% of 65's and over in Ireland, 3.7% in Sweden and 7% in USA. The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) describes this as an alarming statistic, especially one year on from the launch of the Government's Improving Nutritional Care Action Plan, which is meant to drive forward improvements in five key areas associated with tackling malnutrition and meeting the nutritional needs of older people in hospitals and care homes. The research was presented during a NCAOP one-day seminar on 6th November entitled: 'Meals on Wheels for older people in Ireland – food for thought' Sue Ullmann, NACC Chair, said: "These statistics are a shock, but we need to be positive in that the service our members provide remains the cornerstone of the UK's provision. What we do need to do is to look at ways of improving this situation as it is often a postcode lottery in the UK. "We know there hasn't been a wholesale collapse in the traditional hot meals-on-wheels provision in the UK but many local authorities are moving quickly to make significant, frequent changes to their provision. "However it seems readily apparent there is little consensus on specific or general best practice within 'meals on wheels' although the weight of opinion favours a mixed service model (hot & frozen). "We are planning to hold a summit that will outline the most cost-efficient long-term delivery models, and seek support to ensure this becomes the accepted model to ensure fair access to this vital service. "A long-term cost-efficient service should be the modus-operandi of community meals services across the UK. This will be the bridge that is required between the financial pressures that are on authorities, and the needs of the individual. This approach also seems to stand services in good stead for the forthcoming individual social care budgets." Graham Russell, managing director of community meals with apetito explained what needs to be done: "It's a common misconception that malnutrition is something that happens in Africa not the UK. That's not true and British Association for Parental and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) research indicates 25% of over 70s entering care homes suffer from malnutrition, a figure which rises to 33% for over 80s. "The essential part of the preventative maintenance programme is making sure the customer has a nutritious meal every day and drinks sufficient liquid. "Lack of either leads to dizziness, trips and falls and hospital. In fact malnutrition is estimated to cost the NHS £7.3 billion a year and is a much bigger problem than obesity, yet gets none of the attention."