Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of integrating nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways for patients.
NHS England published guidance on ‘Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration’ in October 2015. This can be found at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/nut-hyd/
NHS England has no plans to issue any further guidance at this time.
The implementation of this guidance is a matter for the local National Health Service. NHS England has advised that no broader assessment has been made of the merits of integrating nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways for patients or the potential savings to the public purse from the integration of nutrition and hydration into clinical pathways.