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Meals and Mealtimes
National Minimum Standards
Meals and Mealtimes:
Department of Health - Care Homes for Older People
National Minimum Standards - Meals and Mealtimes
Introduction
Residents regard the food they are given as one of the most important factors in determining their quality of life. It is important in maintaining their health and wellbeing. Failure to eat – through physical inability, depression, or because the food is inadequate or unappetising – can lead to malnutrition with serious consequences for health. Care staff should monitor the individual resident’s food intake in as discreet and unregimented a way as possible. Care and tact should always be used. The availability, quality and style of presentation of food, along with the way in which staff assist residents at mealtimes, are crucial in ensuring residents receive a wholesome, appealing and nutritious diet.
The social aspects of food – its preparation, presentation and consumption – are likely to have played a significant part in most people’s lives, and it is important that homes make every effort to ensure this remains so for individuals once they move into care. While it is recognised that many residents will no longer be able to play an active part in preparing food – even snacks and light refreshment – many still want to retain some capacity to do so. In these situations, restriction on access to main kitchens because of health and safety considerations may present problems. It is important that homes look at alternative ways of maintaining residents’ involvement – for example, by providing kitchenettes, organising cooking as part of a range of daily activities – and enabling residents to be involved in laying up and clearing the dining rooms if they wish to, before and after mealtimes.
Individuals’ food preferences, both personal and cultural/religious,
are part of their individual identity and must always be observed. These
should be ascertained at the point where an individual is considering
moving into the home and the home must make it clear whether or not those
preferences can be observed. Homes must not make false claims that they
can properly provide kosher, halal, vegetarian and other diets if they
cannot observe all the requirements associated with those diets in terms
of purchase, storage, preparation and cooking of the food.
STANDARD 15
15.1 The registered person ensures that service users receive a varied,
appealing, wholesome and nutritious diet, which is suited to individual
assessed and recorded requirements, and that meals are taken in a congenial
setting and at
flexible times.
15.2 Each service user is offered three full meals each day (at least one of which must be cooked) at intervals of not more than five hours.
15.3 Hot and cold drinks and snacks are available at all times and offered regularly. A snack meal should be offered in the evening and the interval between this and breakfast the following morning should be no more than 12 hours.
15.4 Food, including liquified meals, is presented in a manner which is attractive and appealing in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance, in order to maintain appetite and nutrition.
15.5 Special therapeutic diets / feeds are provided when advised by health care and dietetic staff, including adequate provision of calcium and vitamin D.
15.6 Religious or cultural dietary needs are catered for as agreed at admission and recorded in the care plan and food for special occasions is available.
15.7 The registered person ensures that there is a menu (changed regularly), offering a choice of meals in written or other formats to suit the capacities of all service users, which is given, read or explained to service users.
15.8 The registered person ensures that mealtimes are unhurried with service users being given sufficient time to eat.
15.9 Staff are ready to offer assistance in eating where necessary, discreetly, sensitively and individually, while independent eating is encouraged for as long as possible.
OUTCOME
Service users receive a wholesome appealing balanced diet in pleasing
surroundings
at times convenient to them.
For more detailed information about legislation and standards, you can visit the Department of Health website, www.doh.gov.uk
