Excellence in Healthcare Collaboration and Partnerships

Summary of work

One in ten people aged over 65 in the UK is malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition in older people is associated with significant health and quality of life issues as well as being a burden on our health and social care system.

M&F Health, working for the charity BAPEN, the Malnutrition Task Force and Hertfordshire Independent Living Service, created the first ever UK Malnutrition Awareness Week in October 2018. The goals were to help people understand the risk, spot the warning signs, and to understand where to get help and information.

The campaign had successful media outputs and a lively social media presence. Resources were made available so that nutrition teams across the country could run awareness-raising events. In Hertfordshire, screening events were organised with community services.

A well-executed partnership strategy meant that messages were amplified by numerous credible thirdparty organisations. Each of the three main parties in the campaign played a part in bringing other partners on board, successfully extending the reach and impact of messages.

The campaign had proven results with more people than expected downloading information resources and visiting BAPEN’s self-screening tool, discovering their risk status and receiving advice.

Judges' comments

UK Malnutrition Awareness Week is a truly collaborative campaign which featured strong contributions from all of the partners evidenced by the broad and strong testimonials. This campaign had demonstrable results and delivered tangible benefits for individuals and society.