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Improving Nutritional Care

Debbie Dzik-Jurasz

Assistant Director of Nursing

Whipps Cross University NHS Trust

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The aims of this presentation

• To provide a brief overview of our hospital

• To provide a brief overview of our key issues in relation to food and nutrition

• To provide an overview of what we are doing to try to improve peoples experience of food and nutrition

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Our Trust

Busy Local Hospital Our Averages• A&E attendances -   245 per day• Emergency admissions 91 per day• Elective admissions 22 per day• Operations per day 124• maternity deliveries 12

Our key objectives• To deliver improved clinical outcomes• To improve patient safety• To deliver an improved patient experience• To deliver waiting time targets and improved

access to services• To achieve sustainable financial health

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Food and Nutrition is essential

Food for Thought… 

• Up to 40 per cent of all patients admitted to hospital are undernourished

• This percentage increases once patients have been in hospital for 1 week

• Malnutrition often goes unrecognised and untreated

• Leading to prolonged hospital stays, worse outcomes and increased healthcare costs

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Peoples Experience of Eating and Drinking at Whipps Cross

From our patient survey 2010Generally Poor• Limited Choice• Cultural Diets and Special Diets• People who need help eating

and drinking didn’t always get it

This information was supported

by our monthly patient safety walkabouts

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Our projects and aims

Our aim ultimately is to ensure that people in our care

• Get food in their mouths

So that they:

• do not lose weight

• Do not become dehydrated whilst in our care

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What can we do

• Ensure people were identified of being at risk of malnutrition

• Implement the ‘red tray’ system

• Ensure people do not become dehydrated

• To review our menus and patient choice

• To continuously evaluate our services

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Reducing Dehydration

Water is important• Water is essential to health, and is one of six basic nutrients

for life, but is often overlooked• Medical evidence shows that good hydration can assist in the

management and prevent of many medical conditions • The provision of drinking water can reduce the risk or

potential of harm to people

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Red Beakers

• Identifying people who might be at risk of becoming malnourished

• All health care practitioners and all visitors asked to ensure they offer the people that they are going to see a drink

• Making a difference to staff and patients and their families

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The future

• We need to continue to work collaboratively to improve peoples experience of food and nutrition and ensure people do not become dehydrated or loose weight

• All of us have a role to play in this