The Malnutrition Task Force (MTF) is united to combat preventable and avoidable malnutrition and dehydration among older people in the UK. We believe that good nutrition and hydration are fundamental to delivering dignified care and enabling older people to live fulfilling and independent lives.
Tackling malnutrition is everybody’s business. The MTF works with partners across sectors and settings to raise awareness of undernutrition in later life and its causes, provide information and guidance, and spread best practice and innovation to improve the lives of older people in the UK.
The Malnutrition Task Force is supported by Age UK, apetito, BAPEN, and Nutricia.
Our work
The Malnutrition Task Force was set-up in 2011 by a partnership of Age UK, apetito, BAPEN, Nutricia and RVS and in 2012, Diane Jeffrey CBE DL, was invited to be its first Chair.
Dianne led the Hospital Foods Standards Panel in 2013 to investigate standards of food and drink in NHS hospitals. We also partnered with NHS England to develop their guidance on ‘Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration.’
In 2012, the MTF was awarded £500,000 from the Department of Health to develop a Pilot Prevention Programme to tackle malnutrition at the local level. This programme brought together local NHS trusts, hospitals, GP practices, care homes and community groups in five ‘pilot sites’ across the UK to develop innovative solutions to tackling malnutrition locally. The Programme formally ended in March 2015, but these sites continue to lead the way in tackling malnutrition in their local areas.
We continue to work in the community – with care homes, domiciliary care, community groups, and older people and their families – to raise awareness of and tackle the causes of undernutrition in later life. We have developed a number of resources and guidance for those working with older people, including free access to self-screening tools.
In 2018, we co-founded the UK Malnutrition Awareness Week campaign with BAPEN. Find out how you can get involved here.
In 2019, we welcomed the National Hydration Network to the Malnutrition Task Force, to strengthen our combined work to tackle malnutrition and dehydration.
Tackling malnutrition is everybody’s business and this website is for everyone
If you want your own resources, programme or news to be featured on our site, please contact us. We always want to hear from you, whether you’ve started something great in your local area, want guidance to set something up, or are worried about a friend or neighbour, do get in touch.
To hear updates about our work, new resources and events, please join our mailing list.
Eat Well Age Well, run by the Scottish Food Train, operates in Scotland to raise awareness of malnutrition among older people living at home. Read our joint statement and visit their website, here.
NHS Food Review
Malnutrition Task Force member Phil Shelley has recently been appointed chair of the Hospital Food Review, to improve food quality in hospitals and provide consistently safe, nutritious and tasty food.