Malnutrition (or undernutrition) is a state of nutrition in which a deficiency or excess (or imbalance) of energy, protein and other nutrients causes measurable adverse effects on tissue/body form (body shape, size and composition) and function and clinical outcome (British Association for Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition [BAPEN], 2025). Malnutrition affects at least three million people in the UK, with 93% of these living in the community (BAPEN, 2025). Malnutrition has an estimated cost of £23.5 billion in the UK (Managing Adult Malnutrition in the Community, 2021), and can lead to adverse effects if unidentified and untreated, such as increased wounds, infections, complications and mortality, resulting in greater healthcare use through more hospital admissions, longer hospital stays, more GP visits and a rise in prescription costs (Stratton et al, 2018).