Fewer admissions were made for malnutrition at Southern Health in the year to March, new figures show.

But the number of admissions across England has steadily risen over the last decade, including more than 10,000 admissions for a fourth year in a row last year.

An organisation for GPs has labelled the rise in malnutrition cases over the past decade "unacceptable and extraordinary".

New figures from NHS England show there were fewer than eight admissions for malnutrition last year at the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, a fall from 10 admissions a year earlier.

These figures are rounded to the nearest five, and small numbers are suppressed to protect patients' identities.

They cover a range of conditions – including dietary issues and problems with absorbing nutrients or eating normally.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said there is a well-established link between access to fresh and healthy food and better physical health.

"A poor diet increases a patient’s risk of developing a range of nutritional diseases – malnutrition, rickets, scurvy, iron, vitamin and folate deficiencies, all of which are becoming increasingly common. In addition, they can also exacerbate chronic conditions a patient may already have," she added.

Professor Hawthorne said GPs are treating a growing number of health conditions linked to deprivation, suggesting hospital admissions are only "the tip of the iceberg".

She recommended the Government take a preventative approach to support people's health and ease pressure on the NHS.

England has seen more than 10,000 admissions for malnutrition in every year since the start of the pandemic, although last year saw a slight fall to 10,728 admissions.

A decade earlier the country saw 6,616 admissions, while in 2010-11 – the earliest available figures – admissions were less than half of what they were in 2023-24.

Anna Taylor, executive director of the Food Foundation, said healthy food is often the first thing cut for families struggling financially.

"We are calling on the Government to ensure that everyone can afford and access a healthy diet that will keep them well, and in doing so achieve the Government’s ambitions to make our children healthier, relieve pressure on the NHS and grow the economy," she added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "It is shocking that so many people are being admitted to hospital for malnutrition, and further proof of the dire inheritance of this Government.

"Our 10-Year Health Plan will tackle stark these health inequalities by shifting care out of the hospital into the community and supporting people to live longer, healthier lives.

They added they are "working to tackle the underlying causes of poor health" across Government departments.