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Shocking new figures show how hundreds of people in the North are being hospitalised with malnutrition as cuts leave them struggling to afford a decent meal.

Malnutrition rates have more than doubled in a number of areas in the North since 2008, causing doctors and politicians to come together to warn of a looming crisis that sees some families having to choose between eating properly or heating their homes.

Almost 400 people have been admitted to hospitals in the region to be treated for malnutrition in the last year, compared to 197 in 2008.

The Government’s austerity programme has been blamed for the shock rise in starving people, with rising power bills also leading to extreme hardship.

The figures also mirror a rise in the use of food banks reported by the Sunday Sun earlier this year.

Easington MP Grahame Morris, who sits on the House of Commons health select committee, said the figures should be an alarm bell to everyone in the region.

He said: “I certainly think the Government’s policies on austerity with cuts in public services and welfare benefits have been a contributory factor. I suspect, with increasing fuel bills, many low-income households in the North East, especially older people, are having to choose between heating and eating.”

Mr Morris said changes in welfare reform have left families unable to cope, reflected in an “exponential increase in the reliance on food banks across the region”.

In 2008-9, 197 cases of malnourishment were admitted to hospitals in the North – but this year the figure has reached 390.

In six areas, including North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, malnutrition rates more than doubled.

In County Durham and Cumbria, the number of cases sent to hospital increased by 27 over five years, while in North Yorkshire the figure rose to 77 cases this year in comparison to 36 in 2008-9. In Newcastle, cases increased from 20 in 2008-9 to 35 this year.

Dr George Rae, regional chairman of the British Medical Association, said: “The idea that more and more people are being admitted to hospital with malnutrition is not acceptable in our society. Unfortunately, these numbers seem to be clear evidence of deprivation.”

Dr Rae warned that Government plans to amend the way in which the NHS is funded – which would mean health inequalities would not be a factor when funding allocations are calculated and the North would lose millions of pounds – will worsen the situation.

Glenn Turp, regional director for the Royal College of Nursing, said: “These statistics make for thoroughly depressing reading. This represents a huge increase in the number of patients being admitted for cases of malnutrition across the North East, and is a further reason why the Government must start taking the issue of health inequalities seriously.

“Poverty, malnutrition, and poor health outcomes are all closely linked, and if we are serious about tackling the problem, we also need to see proper investment and co-operation between health, social services, and other public service providers.”

Mr Turp said the Government is planning to cut Sunderland’s NHS funding next year by £146 per head, while increasing Windsor’s funding by £106. Cases of malnutrition in Berkshire East, just outside London, which covers Windsor, have dropped slightly in the last five years, while Sunderland’s have risen by 22.

“The Government is literally shifting NHS money from poor neighbourhoods to more affluent neighbourhoods, and this will only make the problem worse,” Mr Turp said.

Unison regional convenor for the North, Clare Williams, said: “Our region has been disproportionately impacted by the Government’s austerity measures and unions such as ours have a very different economic approach. We want to ensure people can afford to live.

“It’s an indictment on this Government when we live in such a rich country as ours.”