The Nutrition Standards define the baseline food and nutrition needs of most adult and paediatric patients.
The standards show how to meet the clinical nutrition needs of patients with menu design and food service delivery.
The standards apply in NSW Health facilities. An additional set of standards will be developed to support NSW Health facilities designing menus for state government residential aged care services.
The standards are used by local health districts (LHDs), specialty health networks (SHNs), healthcare facilities, clinicians and food service providers, including HealthShare.
Rationale
A food service system that complies with the Nutrition Standards allows patients to select meals that:
- help them recover
- are safe, nutritious, appetising and high-quality with sufficient variety
- meet their nutrient requirements
- are appropriate for their stage of development (for paediatric patients)
- make their time in hospital better by providing food that meets their expectations and is familiar.
The Nutrition Standards support this by:
- providing an evidence base for planning the menus in healthcare facilities
- making sure the nutrition and food are focused on the needs of the patient
- giving patients the option to choose healthy foods.
A menu that meets the Nutrition Standards allows patients to choose from various options to give them the recommended number of core food groups (as identified in the Australian Dietary Guidelines). It allows more patients to select options that work for them without relying on a therapeutic or enhanced diet.
Nutrition Standards guiding principles
The following principles underpin a patient-centred menu and meal service.
1
NSW Health patients will have access to safe, appropriate and adequate food and fluids as an essential component of patient-centred care and treatment. This is particularly important for people who may need help to make informed nutritional decisions, and for people at risk of nutritional issues, food allergy or requiring texture-modified and therapeutic diets.
2
Consumers will be involved in the menu design process to make sure it meets patient requirements.
3
The menu design process will apply best-practice principles, considering the length of stay, physiological and clinical needs, cultural and religious preferences and stage of life or development. The menu design will prioritise normalising eating, while being consistent with current nutrition and health promotion guidelines.
4
Food offered will be appetising, visually appealing, well presented, enjoyable and age appropriate. This helps patients to get the nutrients they need and considers their psychosocial and clinical needs.
5
The menu will provide a variety of foods with respect to colour, texture, taste, smell, and how it looks. This variety will be in each meal, throughout the day, and across the entire menu cycle.
6
The menu will include options to let patients choose at least the minimum number of serves from each of the core food groups recommended in the
Australian Dietary Guidelines.
7
The menu will offer enough food and fluids so patients can choose foods that will help meet their recommended dietary intake targets and feel satisfied, as per the
Nutrition Reference Values.
8
The menu will give patients options suitable for their diet. Menu planning, product development and procurement should include items that can be used for both the main menu and a range of therapeutic diets. If needed, alternative food choices are available that are suitable for patients on therapeutic diets.
9
Patients will have access to safe and appropriate food and fluids outside of usual meal delivery hours.
10
Where possible, a patient’s nutritional requirements will be provided from food and fluids. If needed, fortified and enriched foods should be made available. Oral supplements should not be a substitute for food and fluid, unless clinically indicated.
11
Sustainability principles will be considered with menu design and product procurement. However, providing patients with nourishing and nutritious food and giving them choices will be prioritised.