To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department manages a region-wide response in relation to the prevention and management of malnutrition, across health and social care services.

My Department provides overall strategic direction in relation to the prevention and management of malnutrition across health and social care services, with delivery led operationally by Health and Social Care (HSC) organisations and supported by the Public Health Agency (PHA).

PHA promotes the use of recognised, regionally consistent approaches to the identification and management of malnutrition. This includes the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) or Patient Association Nutrition Checklist, which are used across a range of care settings to support the early identification of individuals who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

“MUST” is a five-step screening tool which supports the identification of nutritional risk and includes associated management guidelines to inform appropriate care planning.

These tools are supported by Food First, which focusses on improving nutritional intake through diet before the use of nutritional supplements.

Regionally agreed guidance is reflected in the Nutrition Guidelines and Menu Checklist for Care Homes, which promotes consistent standards in the nutritional care of residents across Northern Ireland.

Through these combined measures, a consistent, region-wide approach is supported, with an emphasis on early identification, prevention, and appropriate management of malnutrition across community, primary, and residential care settings.