The guidelines aim to support residential and nursing care homes to provide appropriate food and drink for residents in their care. No such resource currently exists in England and this document should complement existing dietetic guidelines available in the other nations of the UK.
Helen Ream, healthcare and food service dietitian at Compass Group UK & Ireland and vice-chair of the BDA’s Food Services Specialist Group, commented: “It has been a privilege to chair the working group of dietitians and NACC colleagues to develop these guidelines.
“I hope they will be the ‘go to’ resource for care home teams to support them to understand what their food services and menus should include to support residents to have a great mealtime experience whilst also meeting their nutritional needs.”
Undernutrition, dehydration and other nutrition related health concerns, which often impact those living in care or residential homes, mean that providing appropriate and appetising meals that meet nutritional requirements can be more challenging.
The Care Home Digest allows homes to access the information to support them to plan nutritionally balanced and appropriate menus to meet both the nutritional needs and preferences of their residents.
Neel Radia, national chair of the NACC, added: “A multidisciplinary team bringing hospitality and nutrition together is the best solution for an all-encompassing approach to meeting residents nutritional needs. This is a must-have document for all catering teams in care homes, from induction through to ongoing reference and review.
“No care home for the elderly should operate without this. Thank you to Helen Ream and the entire team who have worked so hard in putting this together and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone in the care sector.”