£2.78m study to explore nutrition in older care home residents

New research is exploring whether oral nutritional supplements (ONS) meet the nutritional needs of older people in care homes, compared with a fortified diet
Older people served dinner by a carer
The NHS spends around £14million per month on oral nutritional supplements (ONS) for older care home residents. Now a new study, the largest of its kind, is measuring whether ONS are actually effective for them.
Co-led by the Universities of Â鶹´«Ã½ and Bournemouth, the REFRESH study (nutRition intervEntions For malnouRished oldEr adultS in care Homes) will establish if and how ONS impact quality of life, compared with a fortified diet or usual care alone.
The trial will work with 90 care homes across Devon, Cornwall, Birmingham and Wessex and is funded by £2.78m from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The project starts in January 2025 and will be co-delivered by the Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s