Almost 2,500 children were admitted to hospital because of malnutrition in the first six months of 2020, new figures show, amid concerns the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated food poverty in the UK.
Data obtained through freedom of information requests to NHS Trusts shows that England alone has seen 2,483 children being referred to hospital because of malnourishment in the first six months of 2020 - double the number reported over the same period the previous year.
The figure - equivalent to 103 children every week - is from only 150 hospitals run by 50 trusts, meaning the true scale of the problem is likely to be far higher.
Hunger has surged during lockdown with government figures revealing as many as 7.7 million adults cut down on portion sizes or missed meals because they could not afford food.
Meanwhile, there has been a dramatic increase in foodbank use - with those operated by charity the Trussell Trust handing out 89 per cent more food parcels in April compared to the same month last year.
Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful and MP Layla Moran, who submitted the freedom of information requests, said: “It is still widely believed that malnutrition is a problem restricted to the developing world. Sadly, this is not true.
"Today, in the UK, thousands of friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues are at risk of the effects of malnutrition.
“These figures shocked me and make me angry that in Britain, in 2020, people can be hospitalised due to malnutrition. We need to move forward and create a system of social security that helps everyone and makes sure no one goes hungry in our country.
“The reasons for fixing this silence crisis are stark. Malnutrition and mortality are usually closely linked. Malnutrition lengthens hospital stays, reduces quality of life and increases the risk of developing other diseases.”
Some 11,515 children have been admitted to hospital with malnutrition since 2015, according to the data.
In this year alone, 915 cases have been logged at the Cambridge University Hospitals trust, while the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals trust reported 587 cases.
The Liverpool Women's Hospital trust reported a case of malnutrition in pregnancy, while the Royal London Free trust and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals trust both recorded 656 cases in 2020.
Some 80 NHS trusts responded to the freedom of information request, but only 50 provided substantive information, according to the MP.
