Published on: 14 October 2019
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust will launch its Food and Drink Strategy, setting out its commitment to providing nutritious food and ready access to drinks for patients, staff and visitors, during UK Malnutrition Awareness Week, October 14th to 20th 2019.
Patients who are well-nourished and well-hydrated recover more quickly from illness or surgery, have fewer complications and infections and require a shorter stay in hospital. However, evidence both locally and nationally shows one third of patients admitted to hospital are at risk of malnutrition.
The primary goals of the strategy, which was developed in line with guidance from NHS England and the Care Quality Commission, are to meet the nutrition and hydration needs of patients in hospital and in the community and ensure provision of healthy food for the whole hospital community, including staff and visitors, as well as provide healthy diet advice.
Melanie Johnson, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, said: “Our Food and Drink Strategy is key to enabling us to deliver high quality care for every patient. It is vital that malnourished patients receive additional calories and protein to reduce nutrition-related complications such as pressure ulcers, falls, a reduced ability to fight infection and loss of muscle strength. Adequate hydration is equally essential to help prevent urinary tract infections, pressure damage and acute kidney injury.
“We also recognise that we have a responsibility as a healthcare organisation to support our staff, and visitors to our hospitals, to maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing and promoting healthier food choices. Staff who are fit and well have a positive impact on our clinical outcomes and the experience of our patients. As major purchasers and providers of food and catering services, we have the opportunity to make sustainability a high priority to support waste reduction and high standards of food production.”
As well as officially launching the Food and Drink Strategy during UK Malnutrition Awareness Week, the Trust’s Nutrition & Hydration Steering Group has also organised a series of activities. These include introducing smoothies, milk shakes and extra snacks - sources of extra calories - on more wards at Sunderland Royal Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital. In addition, there will be information stands in the hospitals to raise awareness amongst the public and staff about malnutrition and the Trust’s community staff in South Tyneside and Sunderland will also raise awareness as they go about their jobs.
There are a number of reasons why people can become malnourished, particularly as they get older, including difficulty in eating and swallowing, an inability to absorb nutrients, depression or isolation, and lessening of taste which can make eating less pleasurable. Dehydration can contribute to problems including confusion, falls and pressure ulcers and, if undetected, can even lead to kidney injury and cause a person’s condition to deteriorate rapidly.
UK Malnutrition Awareness Week was founded in 2018 by BAPEN, a charitable association that raises awareness of malnutrition and works to advance the nutritional care of patients and those at risk from malnutrition in the wider community, and the Malnutrition Task Force. The annual campaign seeks to raise awareness and understanding amongst health and social care workers, community groups and the public of undernutrition and dehydration, and mobilise people to take action to identify and prevent malnutrition.
