Food, fluid and nutritional care standards
Document Type
Standards
Summary
The standards apply to the care of all patients, paediatric and adult, in both community healthcare and hospital care in Scotland.
Overview of standards
Standard 1: Each NHS board has a policy, and a strategic and co-ordinated approach, to ensure that all patients receive safe, effective and person-centred nutritional care, irrespective of specialty and location (hospital or community).
Standard 2: When a person is admitted to hospital, or to a community caseload, a nutritional care assessment is carried out. Checks for the risk of malnutrition are also carried out, both initially and on an ongoing basis. A person-centred care plan is developed, implemented and evaluated.
Standard 3: Formalised structures and processes are in place to plan the provision and delivery of food and fluid in hospitals, in line with Food in Hospitals.
Standard 4: Food and fluid are provided in a way that is acceptable to all patients in hospital.
Standard 5: Patients have the opportunity to discuss, and are given information about, their food, fluid and nutritional care. Patient views are sought and inform decisions made about the food, fluid and nutritional care provided.
Standard 6: Staff have the knowledge and skills required to meet patients’ food, fluid and nutritional care needs, commensurate with their duties and responsibilities, and relevant to their professional discipline and area of practice.