On 23 January 2012 the UK’s National Patient and Safety Agency and Patient Safety First are launching a week focused on nutrition and hydration: 'A taste of patient safety' which the Department of Health is supporting.
Community Nursing, supported by the Primary Care Patient Safety and Governance Team, will be raising awareness of nutrition throughout the week in a number of locations. There will be nutritional information displayed at Thie Rosein in Port Erin, Murrays Road Health Clinic in Douglas and Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital. A leaflet, recently published by the Department of Health’s Public Health Directorate, will be given out by District Nurses to patients who would benefit from increasing their nourishment.
Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said:
'Adequate nutrition and hydration are essential for good health and wellbeing and their importance cannot be overstated. A large part of the work of our Community Nursing team is the promotion of good nutrition to both patients and carers with the aim of improving people’s health. The Department takes nutrition and hydration very seriously, both in an acute setting such as Noble’s Hospital and in the community whether that’s at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital or in people’s homes through our Health Visitors and District Nurses.'
The consequences of poor nutrition and hydration are well documented and include increased risk of infection, poor skin integrity and delayed wound healing, decreased muscle strength, constipation, depression and, sadly, premature death. Put simply poor nutrition and hydration causes harm, often leading to increased and prolonged hospital admissions and increased costs to the Department of Health.
Cath Quilliam, Director of Community Nursing said:
'Community Nursing is pleased to support this important initiative which aims to improve patient health and wellbeing. Hydration and nutrition are the basic building blocks of good health and their importance should not be underestimated. Whilst many people may think of health care as involving various drugs and medicines, getting the basics rights - by keeping well hydrated and eating nutritious healthy food – is vitally important. Our approach at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital, for example, is a clear demonstration of these principles.'
Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital strives to deliver a high quality catering service to meet the needs of inpatients with the aim of aiding recovery as well as providing enjoyable mealtimes. The hospital has its own kitchen and uses ‘The good food cycle’ to provide the best possible service for patients. Peter Heyes, Catering Supervisor said: “Every meal served is prepared using fresh ingredients and is cooked by skilled staff on the day it is to be eaten. Cooking and delivery of meals to the Ward are timed to ensure that they are served as soon as possible after they are cooked to ensure meals both look and taste good and hot foods are served hot and cold foods are served chilled.
Janet Grib, Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital Manager is extremely proud of the high quality food provided at the Hospital:
'It’s clear day in and day out the difference nutritious food and hydration play in the health and wellbeing of all our patients here at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital; I hope that this awareness week will help to emphasise the importance of these basics and their role in healthcare.'
All patients at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital have their nutritional status assessed by nurses using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). The tool can detect over-nutrition (overweight and obesity) as well as under-nutrition and is linked to a flexible care plan.
The results of an audit carried out at Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital in 2011 showed that:
- 100% of registered nurses have been trained in the use of the MUST tool
- 100% of patients who were considered ‘at risk’ of becoming malnourished were referred to the dietician for assessment as specified in the policy
- 100% of patients who were considered ‘at risk’ were continually observed and assisted with their nutrition needs by the nursing staff
The Department of Health is currently looking at how the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool can be implemented into other parts of the Department and the wider community.
