Nutrition

Food, nutrition and mealtimes are a consistent feature in the research and 'have been raised repeatedly... as an opportunity to respect residents' dignity, or undermine it'. Meals and mealtimes affect the quality of life for older people and are indeed 'the highlight of the day' for many people in residential care.

Good nutrition and hydration and enjoyable mealtimes can dramatically improve the health and well-being of older people. Mealtimes should therefore be considered a priority in terms of importance and dedication of staff time; systems within organisations should support this to uphold dignity.

• Link to the SCIE guide's pages on nutrition and mealtimes
• Link to the RCN nutrition now campaign

• NPSA - Protected Mealtimes
  The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has identified poor nutrition as patient safety issue. This resource includes tips from frontline staff on making Protected Mealtimes work, the aim to ensure...