Review of hospitals promised after one in three elderly patients left without help to eat A panel will examine the quality of food being served by the NHS, with 30 million meals thrown away every year, and the lack of assistance given to the most vulnerable patients. Studies have suggested that as many as 50,000 patients are suffering from malnutrition when they die, with starvation and dehydration recorded as the direct cause of death in around 150 cases each year. Patients groups have repeatedly complained that trays of food are left out of reach of elderly patients, then taken away uneaten, while those who need help too often are denied it. Last year cases emerged of doctors prescribing patients with drinking water or putting them on drips to make sure they do not become severely dehydrated. The Government review of standards, led by Dianne Jeffrey, chairman of Age UK, will report in June and publish new guidance and regulations to improve hospital food. It will also examine the use of food packaging which can be too difficult for sick and frail older people to open, as well as the nutritional value of food served in hospitals, its presentation and ways to reduce food waste. She said: "Good nutrition and hydration are critical elements of hospital care and should be considered as important as medical treatment. Malnutrition and dehydration can be a real risk for patients if they go unnoticed and untreated. Dr Dan Poulter, health minister, said there was too much variation in food standards across the NHS and that the government was working with the charity and others to improve the quality of what is provided.