RCN welcomes Factsheet on improving nutritional care in hospitals

Published: 10 September 2008

The Royal College of Nursing and the National Patient Safety Agency has today welcomed the launch of four new Factsheets that will help healthcare staff provide improved nutritional care for hospital patients.

The four new Factsheets, part of 10 Key Characteristics for Good Nutritional Care in Hospitals, focus on screening, facilities and service delivery, development of a care support plan, and the delivery of quality food and beverage services.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said:

“These Factsheets are not just a guide to what we should be providing to patients, they are fundamental to the delivery of quality nutritional care by healthcare staff on a daily basis. By embedding these Factsheets in the delivery of healthcare to patients, staff will have the practical know-how on promoting good nutritional care.

“A key focus in the Factsheets is malnutrition and how to identify and assess those who are malnourished or at risk. With 28 per cent of adult patients at risk of malnutrition*, this Factsheet will enable healthcare staff to effectively screen patients and deliver appropriate treatment to meet individual needs.

“The RCN had a lead role in producing these Factsheets and form part of our successful Nutrition Now campaign, which is raising the standards of nutrition and hydration in hospitals and communities throughout the UK.

“The RCN will continue to push for further action from Government, key stakeholders and hospitals to ensure nutritional care remains a priority.”
                                                           

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Notes to Editors

The Factsheets are available from the National Patients Safety Agency at www.npsa.nhs.uk.

Four Factsheets are:
- Care provider to include specific guidance on food and beverage services and nutrition/hydration care in its service delivery and accountability arrangement;
- Everyone entering care services is screened to identify those who are malnourished or at risk of becoming malnourished;
- Facilities and services are designed to be flexible and centred on the needs of the people using them; and
- Everyone using care services has a personal care/support plan and, where possible, has had personal input to identify their nutritional care and fluids needs, and how they are to be met.

*British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition carried out a UK-wide screening survey in 2007 to establish the current prevalence of malnutrition risk on admission to different care settings.

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.