Nutritional Targets
Nutritional targets have been set by the British Dietetic Association for all types of products used on the menus and all items we use are assessed against these targets prior to considering them for use on any of our menus.
The menus are planned to meet the two extremes of nutritional requirements of patients in hospital. These are for the ‘nutritionally well’ patient whose needs are similar to the general population at home. Also for the ‘nutritionally vulnerable’ patient, who may have higher nutritional needs due to their illness, condition, surgery or may often have a poor appetite. The targets for protein and energy for these groups of patients is used for menu planning.
Meeting patients’ nutritional needs
In order to ensure that the menus meet the range of nutritional needs of patients in the Trust, a Nutritional Capacity Report is undertaken. This report shows the capacity of the menu to meet the needs from the ‘nutritionally well’ patient to the ‘nutritionally vulnerable’ patient.