Protected mealtimes

Hammond, P. and National Health Service (2003) Protected mealtimes: full instructional information for implementing 'protected mealtimes' on your ward, London: NHS. (CD-ROM)

The CDROM is a toolkit to help staff with the implementation of Protected Mealtimes within their clinical areas and is intended to be both a practical and educational resource. The toolkit consists of:

Video presentation lasting approx 12 minutes
Observation audit tool
Top Tips to implementation
Implementation checklist
References
A powerpoint presentation
Ward poster

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has identified poor nutrition as a patient safety issue and believes protected mealtimes have the potential to improve patient safety by "ensuring patients receive the right meal at the right time with the right amount of help". The agency has published Tips from Frontline Staff on Making Protected Mealtimes Work. You can download this A4 document from this website (PDF, 40Kb)

Visit the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) website (www.npsa.nhs.uk/nutrition) for more information about Protected Mealtimes or to order free copies of the Protected Mealtimes CD-ROM.

RCN members may also borrow the Protected Mealtimes CD-ROM from RCN Library and Information Services www.rcn.org.uk/library
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