MORE than 130 people were admitted to Barnsley Hospital for malnutrition over the latest 12-month period, new figures have revealed.
NHS England data shows there were around 135 admissions for malnutrition at the Gawber Road site last year.
This is a fall from 160 admissions a year earlier, with the figures rounded to the nearest five.
They cover a range of conditions - including dietary issues and problems with absorbing nutrients or eating normally.
England has seen more than 10,000 admissions for malnutrition in every year since the start of the pandemic, although last year saw a slight fall to 10,728 admissions.
A decade earlier the country saw 6,616 admissions, while in 2010/11 - the earliest available figures - admissions were less than half of what they were in 2023/24.
Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said healthy food is often the first thing cut for families struggling financially.
“We are calling on the government to ensure that everyone can afford and access a healthy diet that will keep them well, and in doing so achieve the government’s ambitions to make our children healthier, relieve pressure on the NHS and grow the economy,” she added.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said there is a well-established link between access to fresh and healthy food and better physical health.
She added: “A poor diet increases a patient’s risk of developing a range of nutritional diseases - malnutrition, rickets, scurvy, iron, vitamin and folate deficiencies, all of which are becoming increasingly common. In addition, they can also exacerbate chronic conditions a patient may already have.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is shocking that so many people are being admitted to hospital for malnutrition, and further proof of the dire inheritance of this Government.
“Our Ten-Year Health Plan will tackle stark these health inequalities by shifting care out of the hospital into the community and supporting people to live longer, healthier lives.”
They added they are ‘working to tackle the underlying causes of poor health’ across government departments.
The latest figures have also revealed that almost half of all people in Barnsley were unable to consistently provide their household with healthy food.
Office for Health, Improvement and Disparities figures show 47 per cent of Barnsley residents suffered from food insecurity in 2021.
Food insecurity is when people do not have consistent access to enough food that is varied, culturally appropriate, and can sustain an active and healthy lifestyle.
