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Vision for Good Nutritional Care


The overall vision of the strategy is to improve the quality of nutritional care of adults in Northern Ireland in health and social care, whether delivered or commissioned, through the prevention, identification, and management of malnutrition in all health and social care settings including peoples own homes.
This will ensure that any adult identified as being at risk of malnutrition will have a nutritional care plan appropriate to their needs to work towards their agreed outcomes.
To make this vision a reality will require the adoption and translation of the Council of Europe Resolution on Food and Nutritional Care in Hospitals1 to all health and social care settings including people's own homes and into a framework for action by describing what good nutritional care looks like.
The Council of Europe Alliance UK, a multi-professional, multi-agency group was set up to take forward the implementation of the Council of Europe Resolution across the UK. The Alliance produced 10 Key Characteristics (Figure 1) that form the basis of good nutritional care which have been amended in 2010 to cover all health and social care settings.
The framework for action will describe what good nutritional care looks like and promote food first as the preferred option, for meeting nutritional requirements, however when food or food alone is not an option for whatever reason, the framework will give direction to support effective nutritional strategies including enteral and parenteral nutrition based on prevention, anticipatory management and timely intervention.

Figure 1: 10 key Characteristics
  1. Everyone* using Health and Social Care services+ (healthcare and care services) is screened to identify those who are malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished.

  2. Everyone using care services has a personal care support plan and where possible has had personal input, to identify their nutritional care and fluid needs and how they are to be met.

  3. The care provider must include specific guidance on food and beverage services and nutritional care in its service delivery and accountability arrangements.

  4. People using care services are involved in the planning and monitoring arrangements for food service and beverage/drinks provision.

  5. An environment conducive to people enjoying their meals and being able to safely consume their food and drinks is maintained (NB this can be known as ‘Protected Mealtimes’).

  6. All staff/volunteers have the appropriate skills and competencies needed to ensure that the nutritional and fluid needs of people using care services are met. All staff/volunteers receive regular training on nutritional care and management.

  7. Facilities and services are designed to be flexible and centred on the needs of the people using them.

  8. The care-providing organisation has a policy for food service and nutritional care, which is centred on the needs of people using the service. Performance in delivering that care effectively is managed in line with local governance and regulatory frameworks.

  9. Food service and nutritional care is provided safely.

  10. Everyone working in the organisation values the contribution of people using the service and all others in the successful delivery of nutritional care.
(*Everyone – refers to all individuals at the points in the care journey as identified by NICE guidelines) +Adapted from Council of Europe Alliance UK 10 Key Characteristics for good nutritional care.