DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0309) issued by The Government News Network on 30
October 2007
Health Minister,
Ivan Lewis, today published a groundbreaking Nutrition Action Plan
in conjunction with over 25 leading stakeholders, outlining a
range of actions to tackle malnutrition and ensure the nutritional
needs of older people in hospitals and care homes are better met.
This first ever national plan aims to ensure that health and
social care staff and managers are well informed, equipped and
supported to provide good nutrition and effective nutritional
care. The action plan outlines five priorities for health and
social care organisations:
-To raise awareness of the link between nutrition and good health
and that malnutrition can be treated;
-To ensure that accessible guidance is available across all
sectors and that the most relevant guidance is appropriate and user-friendly.
-To strongly encourage nutritional screening for all people using
health and social care services; with particular attention to
those groups who are known to be vulnerable.
-To encourage provision and access to relevant training for
frontline staff and managers on the importance of nutrition for
good health and nutritional care; and
-To clarify standards and strengthen inspection and regulation.
A range of actions to support these priorities have already been
agreed including:
-Commitment from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that
Nutrition principles will be assessed in practice as part of
student nurse training from September 2008.
-Largest study ever undertaken on malnutrition on admission to
hospital and care homes - conducted by the British Association for
Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN).
-Training programme on nutritional care and assistance with
eating will be available to all NHS and social care staff from May 2008.
-Tougher regulation and Inspection - Building on the work already
done by CSCI and the Healthcare Commission the Department of
Health will work with regulators to ensure that standards of
nutrition and dignity are central to quality inspections.
-Development of a range of good practice on nutritional care by
the Department of Health and the Social Care Institute for Excellence
As part of the plan, the Government and stakeholders will also be
encouraging the NHS to use the Council of Europe Alliance (UK)
"10 Key Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care" - a
landmark document which creates a common understanding of what
good nutritional care looks like in hospital settings.
Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, has been asked
by Ivan Lewis to chair the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board
that will ensure delivery of the Action Plan. The group, which
will be made up of leading stakeholders, will monitor the various
commitments made in the Nutrition Action Plan ensuring that they
are completed on time and that any issues around their
implementation are identified.
Ivan Lewis, Health Minister, said:
"Too often older people and their relatives tell us of
experiences in hospitals and care homes where the food is poor or
no help is provided to help people eat and drink properly. Weight
loss is sometimes wrongly explained away as being due to illness
when in reality it is because of a failure to put nutrition at the
heart of peoples care.
"This neglect and poor practice cannot be tolerated; every
hospital and care home should be in no doubt that they have a
responsibility to ensure that older people have a choice of good
food and were necessary are assisted to eat and drink properly.
"Today's action plan is unprecedented and makes it
clear that nutrition is about dignity but also central to older
people's good health and ability to recover from illness.
"I am delighted that Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age
Concern, has agreed to oversee the delivery of this action plan
and ensure it makes a real difference in care homes and hospitals
throughout the country."
Gordon Lishman CBE, Director General of Age Concern, said:
"I have been angry and concerned about the terrible effects
of malnutrition in some hospitals and care settings for years and
I am delighted that there is now a real commitment to change.
"As Chair, I will work with the Government and the
organisations that have signed up to the Nutrition Action Plan to
ensure that every responsible organisation and individual is held
accountable to deliver on the commitments made. We now have a
great opportunity to improve older people's lives
dramatically at a time when they are at their most vulnerable."
Notes to editors
1. A copy of the report can be located at http://www.dh.gov.uk/publications
2. In March 2008, Ivan Lewis hosted the first National Summit to
discuss the issue of older people and nutrition during which he
announced the development of an action plan.
3. The stakeholders involved in producing the nutritional action
plan are:
- Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
(ADASS)
- Age Concern (AC)
- British Medical Association
(BMA)
- British Association for Parenteral and Enteral
Nutrition (BAPEN)
- British Dietetic Association (BDA)
-
Caroline Walker Trust (CWT)
- Commission for Social Care
Inspection (CSCI)
- Council of Europe Alliance (UK)
(CoEA)
- English Community Association (ECCA)
- Food
Standards Agency (FSA)
- Healthcare Commission (HCC)
-
Help the Aged (HtA)
- Hospital Caterers Association
(HCA)
- Local Government Association (LGA)
- National
Association of Care Catering (NACC)
- National Nurses
Nutrition Group (NNNG)
- National Patient Safety Agency
(NPSA)
- NHS Core Learning Unit (NHSCLU)
- National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
- Patients
Association (PA)
- People First (PF)
- Royal Institute of
Public Health (RIPH)
- Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
-
Skills for Care (SfC)
- Skills for Health (SfH)
-
Sustain
- United Kingdom Home
- Care Association
(UKHCA)
- Water UK
4. The Council of Europe Alliance (UK) "10 Key
Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care" can be located at
http://www.bapen.org.uk/pdfs/coe_leaflet.pdf