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Nutrition
One of our Professional Concern members, Barbara Keal, regularly attends the Derby Hospitals Nutrition Steering Group (NSG), which meets on a monthly basis. The nutrition group is multi-professional in its membership and is chaired jointly by the director of nursing and the consultant gastroenterologist. The group has addressed many issues spanning the continuum from basic to advanced nutrition.
A key piece of this work has been the creation of the trust nutrition plan, a three-year plan that provides the context and direction for the trust by achieving the following aims:
- ensure every patient is provided with first-class nutritional care to meet individual needs
- promote an organizational culture that supports the principle that it is every patient’s right to expect and receive adequate nutrition
- contribute to the trust's corporate objectives including 'putting patients first' and 'getting it right first time'
The nutrition support team is made up of three consultant gastroenterologists, 2.5 nutrition nurse specialists, a senior dietician and a senior pharmacist. This team the same as was set up in 1994 when it was an advisory team for the Derby City General Hospital based in ITU.
As a direct result of the nutrition group, the following have been introduced at the Royal Derby:
- Steamplicity microwaved plated food is used for all hot meals. Some problems did arise with choice and portion size, but these have been addressed by the nutrition group.
- The Malnutrition Screening Tool (MUST) nutritional scoring of all patients admitted to hospital has been implemented and is becoming a national standard.
- In addition, the
following have also been implemented at the Royal Derby.
- Protected mealtimes have been introduced on certain wards.
- Speech and language therapy and dietetics help streamline the service by improving the referral system.
- Ward hostesses have been introduced on all wards.
- Nutritional feeding assistants have been introduced on certain wards.
- Volunteers are now used to prepare patients for meals on certain wards.