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A new healthy ice cream aimed at preventing malnutrition is being offered to NHS patients in Nottingham.

N-ICE Cream has been developed by researchers from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, together with a dairy farm in Twycross, Leicestershire.

Researchers hope the food will help older people who have experienced musculoskeletal injuries take on more calories during their recovery.

They said they hoped, if successful, the trial would be extended to more NHS patients.

The trial, which is taking place this month, will involve patients on the trauma and orthopaedic ward and the regional spine units at the trust.

Researchers said they hoped the product, which has been enhanced with protein and vitamin D, will help improve the nutritional health of some of their older patients.

Professor Opinder Sahota, consultant in ortho-geriatric medicine at NUH, said: "Enabling all our patients to consume a nutritious diet during their stay in hospital is a high priority, but older people who have experienced musculoskeletal injuries are a particular concern in terms of encouraging them to take in enough calories.

"Almost half of all patients admitted with a hip fracture suffer from malnutrition.

"Our research team found that among older adults in hospital with broken bones, there is a poor dietary intake and low compliance in taking additional nutritional supplement drinks - however, ice cream is a popular choice with our patients.

"Protein is important for muscle and to help the body heal. So we decided to develop our own ‘build up’ ice cream, which is rich in energy, high in protein with added vitamin D."

The ice cream was developed in partnership with family-run dairy farm, Dreamy Cow Farmhouse Ice Cream.

Farmer Tony Thorp, who runs the farm with his brother, wife and daughter, said: "It's the first time we have done anything like this but it's nice to be involved in helping people and get a high-nutritional product into poorly patients."