It’s Nutrition and Hydration Week – An annual event with a shared objective to highlight, promote and celebrate improvements in the provision of nutrition and hydration to all those in health and social care setting.

Why take part?

As people age, their sense of thirst and appetite reduces. It is important to encourage service users to eat and drink, and educate them and their families about the benefits of a balanced diet and an adequate level of hydration.

10 key characteristics of ‘good nutrition and hydration care’

• Screen all patients and service-users to identify malnourishment or risk of malnourishment and ensure actions are progressed and monitored.
• Together with each patient or service user, create a personal care/support plan enabling them to have choice and control over their own nutritional care and fluid needs.
• Care providers should include specific guidance on food and beverage services and other nutritional & hydration care in their service delivery and accountability arrangements.
• People using care services are involved in the planning and monitoring arrangements for food service and drinks provision.
• Food and drinks should be provided alone or with assistance in an environment conducive to patients being able to consume their food (Protected Mealtimes).
• All health care professionals and volunteers receive regular raining to ensure they have the skills, qualifications and competencies needed to meet the nutritional and fluid requirements of people using their services.
• Facilities and services providing nutrition and hydration are designed to be flexible and centred on the needs of the people using them, 24 hours a day, every day.
• All care providers to have a nutrition and hydration policy centred on the needs of users, and is performance managed in line with local governance, national standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Food, drinks and other nutritional care are delivered safely.
• Care providers should take a multi-disciplinary approach to nutrition and hydrational care, valuing the contribution of all staff, people using the service, carers and volunteers working in partnership.

Source: www.england.nhs.uk

For more information and downloadable resources for Nutrition and Hydration Week, please visit www.nutritionandhydrationweek.co.uk