National guidance
England
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2006) Nutrition Support in Adults: Oral Nutrition Support, Enteral Tube Feeding and Parenteral Nutrition, London: NICE (CG032). These are available on the NICE website.
This guideline offers best practice advice on the care of adults who are malnourished or at risk of malnourishment. This web page links to several versions of the guideline including the full guideline and a quick reference guide. Information about implementing the guidance locally is provided including implementation advice, a costing report and template, and presenter slides.
Department of Health (2010) Essence of Care 2010: Patient Focused Benchmarks for Clinical Governance, London: Department of Health. These are available on the Department of Health website.
This document contains a toolkit for benchmarking the fundamentals of care. 12 sets of benchmarks are also included. "Essence of care benchmarks for food and nutrition" are included. The benchmarks are relevant to all health and social care settings.
Department of Health (2003) Care Homes for Older People: Natonal Mnimum Standards, London: The Stationery Office.
This document issued by the Department of Health sets out national minimum standards for care homes for older people. Standard 15 covers meals and mealtimes. The expected outcome for this standard is that "service users receive a wholesome, appealing, balanced diet in pleasing surroundings at times convenient to them".
Read Care Homes for Older People (PDF 133KB) [How to access PDF files] on the Department of Health website. .
Department of Health and Nutrition Summit Stakeholders (2007) Improving Nutritional Care, Leeds: DH.
This report contains a joint action plan from the Department of Health and Nutrition Summit stakeholders (including the RCN). It aims to ensure that health and social care staff and managers are informed, equipped and supported to provide good nutrition and nutritional care. Five key priorities for action are identified.
This report is available on the Department of Health website.
Department of Health (2008) Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England, London: DH.
This cross-government strategy is the first step in a sustained programme to support people to maintain a healthy weight. It will be followed by a public annual report that assesses progress, looks at the latest evidence and trends, and makes recommendations for further action.
This document is available on the Department of Health website.
Scotland
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2006) Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals, August 2006, Edinburgh: NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.
View Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals (PDF 459KB) [How to access PDF files].
This document outlines the standards that should be in place to ensure that hospital patients in Scotland receive the nutritional care they require.
NHS Education for Scotland (2010) Nutritional Care in Hospitals, Edinburgh: NHS Education for Scotland.
Online learning resource available on the NHS Education for Scotland website.
This web resource aims to support all staff involved in nutritional care in hospitals, ensuring that they have the knowledge, skills and capabilities to optimise nutritional care as part of the patient experience. It serves to promote the development of nutritional thinking at each of the key stages in the nutritional care process. You will find resources, activities and tools for all staff groups linked with each stage of the nutrition pathway, and some resources for specific disciplines in the Professions and Staff Groups section.
Wales
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) Fundamentals of Care: Guidance for Health and Social Care Staff: Improving the Quality of Fundamental Aspects of Health and Social Care for Adults, Cardiff: WAG.
Read Fundamentals of Care: Guidance for Health and Social Care Staff (PDF 577KB).[How to access PDF files].
This document provides guidance on the quality of care service users may expect from health and social care providers in Wales. It is aimed at staff of all grades who provide care and the organisations who employ them. Practice indicators for 12 areas of care are provided including eating and drinking (practice indicator 9). This covers the choice, presentation and availability of food as well as helping those who need assistance to eat and drink.
Welsh Risk Pool (2005) Welsh risk management standards 2004-2005, St. Asaph: Welsh Risk Pool.
Standard 23 is 'Nutrition and Catering (Version 2, Amended March 2003). The purpose of this standard is: "to ensure that all catering management, food handling and NHS premises in which food is stored, prepared or served, complies with current food legislation and good practice, and provides for the dietary and nutritional requirements of patients."
This document is not available online but RCN members may borrow it from RCN Library and Information Services. Find out more in RCN library services and archives.
Welsh Assembly Government (2004) National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People, Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government.
Read:National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People (PDF 245KB) [How to access PDF file].
This document sets out national minimum standards for care homes for older people issued by the Welsh Assembly Government. Standard 16 covers meals and mealtimes.
Northern Ireland
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) (Nov 2007): Nursing Care Standards for Patient Food in Hospital.
Read Nursing Care Standards for Patient Food in Hospital (PDF 1.92MB). [How to access PDF files].
The 10 care standards were developed in partnership by the DHSSPS Directorate of Nursing and Midwifery and the Royal College of Nursing's Northern Ireland Office. They have been developed for use in all inpatient facilities in the health and social care trusts across Northern Ireland.
Other guidance
British Nutrition Foundation (2004) Nutrient Requirements [London]: BNF.
Provides details of nutritional requirements and how they can vary. It covers how nutritional requirements are estimated, Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) and how they should be used, energy requirements, and the level of energy in the UK diet.
This document is available on the BNF website.
European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism: Guidelines and Position Papers.
A range of guidelines from ESPEN including adult enteral nutrition, paediatric parenteral nutrition, and percutaneus endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). This is available on the website: www.espen.org
Stroud, M., Duncan, H. and Nightingale, J. (2003) Guidelines for Enteral Feeding in Adult Hospital Patients, Gut, 52, vii1-vii12.
These guidelines were commissioned by the British Society of Gastroenterology and cover the indications, benefits, administration and problems of enteral tube feeding in adult hospital practice.
Read Guidelines for Enteral Feeding in Adult Hospitals (PDF 156KB). [How to access PDF files].
National Association of Care Catering and Sustain (2006) Sustainable Food in Care Catering: Briefing Paper: 2006, Faygate: NACC.
This report examines what is meant by sustainable food and the reasons for using it in care catering including obstacles and opportunities for doing so. It includes useful sources of further information.
Read Sustainable Food in Care Catering: Briefing Paper (PDF 1.26MB) [How to access PDF files] on the Sustain website.