Barbara has congratulated the Salford Malnutrition Task Force for winning national recognition in the 2016 Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing Award.

Barbara had nominated the Salford Malnutrition Task Force for its work to combat malnutrition among older people in Salford.

In Salford, almost 5,000 people over 65 may be at risk of malnutrition and the number of hospital admissions from malnutrition had gone up by more than a third in five years across Greater Manchester. Malnutrition is a major cause and consequence of poor health and older people are particularly vulnerable. The Task Force has by developed tools to aid and assist those older people who might have malnutrition or may be in danger of becoming malnourished. The tools include a “Paperweight Armband” which is a low-cost, non-medical and non-intrusive tool that is revolutionising the way malnutrition is identified and dealt with.

The Task Force is made up of representatives of the Salford Together partnership of NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, Salford City Council, Salford Royal, Greater Manchester West NHS Mental Health and from Age UK Salford, who provide further links to the community and voluntary sector.

Dave Haynes, Chief Executive of Age UK Salford, collected the award from Health Minister Jane Ellison MP at a special event in Parliament.

Barbara said:

“I am delighted that the Salford Malnutrition Task Force has been recognised for its innovative work and the significant contribution the team are making to the health of people in our community. I was pleased to join Dave Haynes at the awards ceremony in Westminster and to congratulate him and the other team members on the excellent work they are doing across Salford. 

“The work is having a positive impact on local NHS services and has led to a reduction in hospital admissions for malnutrition.

“The commitment and hard work of the Task Force is making a real difference to older people’s health in Salford and is also being shared nationally. This award is well-deserved and I look forward to continuing to support the work of the Task Force in Salford in future.”

Photo shows: Jean Rollinson, director of service development, Age UK Salford, Barbara Keeley MP, Dave Haynes, chief executive of Age UK Salford, and Kirstine Farrer, head of innovation and research at Salford Clinical Commissioning Group and consultant dietician at Salford Royal.