Wigan sees jump in cases of Victorian diseases such as gout and rickets

The study has revealed the regions of the UK with the greatest increase in malnutrition cases between 2019 and 2023.

Health experts at the licensed online pharmacy and doctor service NowPatient submitted FOI requests to NHS trusts across the country to reveal which areas have seen the biggest increase in Victorian diseases such as gout, rickets, tuberculosis, malnutrition, malaria and scarlet fever, as well as analysing search data to reveal which areas of the UK have the most curious residents when it comes to these illnesses.

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) saw a 57.1% increase in admissions of this nature, putting it in the Top 10 NHS Trusts with the biggest increase in malnutrition cases.

There were 14 reported cases in 2019, rising to 22 in 2023 - an increase of eight.

The increased risk of malnutrition across the nation is being blamed on the UK’s cost of living crisis, which has seen many families limit their nutrition intake for the sake of affordability.

Keely Dalfen, CEO at the Wigan-based anti-poverty charity The Brick said: "The demand for affordable nutritious food and hygiene products in the last 12 months has been unprecedented.

"Every day at The Brick we see the amazing resilience of the people we support who are experiencing poverty and homelessness, but the triple threat of a cost-of-living crisis, social care budget cuts and economic recession continues to make their lives increasingly hard and health inequalities soar.

"Health inequalities are not inevitable, they are unjust and we appeal to the Government to ensure everyone has equal access to positive building blocks for health."

Navin Khosla, pharmacist at NowPatient, gave this advice on how you can balance out your nutritional intake on a budget.

She said: “Often, at first glance, healthy eating can appear expensive and unachievable, however, this doesn’t always need to be the case. There are many small changes you can make to the way you approach food and your weekly grocery shop that can make a vast difference in the nutrients you can receive from your meals.

"Firstly, frozen fruit and vegetables can be a practical, affordable and nutritious option over “fresh” unfrozen produce. These frozen items are preserved in a way that maintains their nutrient levels, making them comparable to their fresh counterparts.

"When you do go to the supermarket, try not to go on an empty stomach - this can lead to you buying “quick” meals that lack nutritional value."