EVENTS are being organised by NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups to support Nutrition and Hydration Week.

Snacky Tuesday, Swallow Awareness Day and Fruity Friday are just some of the events planned for the Nutrition and Hydration Week which runs from Monday, March 16, to Sunday, March 22.

The Clinical Commissioning Groups are collaborating with their health partners this year in supporting the week-long programme of events, which highlight the importance of nutrition and hydration in reducing avoidable health conditions associated with poor nutrition and hydration.

Not drinking enough water can make people seriously unwell.

Facts on nutrition and hydration include:

• Dehydration increases the risk of some infections, reducing the flow of blood to the kidneys causing acute kidney injury and infection. Urinary tract infections are the most common cause of E. coli infections and lead to the highest number of deaths due to the prevalence of these infections. Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids is key to reducing a patient’s chance of having a urine infection.

• Malnutrition is a major public health issue costing the NHS over £19 billion per year in England alone. There are approximately three million people in the UK who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition; 93 per cent are living in their own home, five per cent are living in care homes and just two per cent are in hospital.

“We are all aware of the consequences of poor nutrition and hydration,” said Wendy Ballard, dietician for the Clinical Commissioning Groups

“Proper nutrition and hydration is at the centre of preventing conditions such as, frailty and falls, urinary tract infections, risk of infection, poor wound healing.”

For further information on nutrition and hydration please see https://www.shropshireccg.nhs.uk/health-advice/hydration/