Nutri-Spec (FOOD IN HOSPITAL)

Nutrition Specification for Food and Fluid in Hospitals in Faisalabad

Purpose
Nutritional care is more than the provision of food and fluid to patients and demands
effective multi-disciplinary team working to ensure the dietary needs of all patients are met.
The purpose of this catering and NUTE-SPECS (Food in Hospitals) is to
1. Define the nutritional and dietary requirements of hospital patients
2. Set out nutrition and catering standards to ensure that PMDC Boards can meet Clinical
Standards for Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals
3. Provide guidance for the planning group responsible for the implementation of local
protocols for the provision of food and fluid to patients
Clinical Standards for Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals
Dietary targets for Faisalabad
The Pakistan dietary targets have been set as part of a coordinated strategy to improve the
nations diet with the aim to reverse the prevalence of non-communicable diseases that cause
morbidity and early mortality in a significant proportion of the Pakistan population. It is
recognized that public sector settings, including the NHS and hospitals, need to take an
exemplary role in the provision of healthier food choices. The nutrient and food-based
standards within this nutrient specification acknowledge the Model Nutritional Guidelines for
Catering Specifications for the Public Sector, and try to emphasize a clear message on healthy
eating where applicable.
Introduction
Eating well is important for everyones health, well or ill. Providing appropriate nutrition in
the hospital setting is a particularly challenging task due to the diverse dietary needs of the
population. Food not only needs to meet individual nutritional requirements, it also needs to
be appropriate for different age groups, religious, cultural and social backgrounds as well as
for different medical conditions. Food provided needs to be familiar,
Tasty and available; above all it needs to be eaten and enjoyed. Maximizing opportunities for
individuals to eat and drink and maximizing quality and choice of food and fluids offered are
considered to be fundamental to improving intakes.
In the hospital context, good nutritional practice must encompass the diverse needs of
individual patients. For many who are assessed to be nutritionally vulnerable, good nutrition
means the provision of small, energy and nutrient-dense meals with frequent snacks to
address the well-recognized problems of poor appetite and risk of under- nutrition. However,
there are also a significant proportion of patients who may be
Classified as nutritionally well and whose nutritional needs do not differ from that of the
general population. The accepted advice for these people is a healthy balanced diet that is
characterized by a higher proportion of lower fat, salt and sugar foods and the inclusion of at
least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day plus a higher proportion of starchy foods
including high fiber foods. 3 PMDC approved hospitals should be exemplar in the promotion
of healthy eating for those individuals, including staff and visitors who would benefit from a
healthy balanced diet. This is the challenge, but one that can be met through clear
communication and coordinated actions between all those involved in the food chain
including input from the patients themselves. This will be central to the success of the wider
nutritional care of patients.

Food in Hospitals has been developed to support PMDC Boards in implementing:

The PMDC APPROVED Clinical Standards for Food; Fluid and Nutritional Care in
Hospitals specifically standards 3, 4 and 5 which aim to address the risks of malnutrition in
hospital patients.
The delivery of a healthy balanced diet for patients who are considered to be
Nutritionally well.
As such Food in Hospitals provides information on standards for nutrient and food provision
for patients within hospitals; it provides guidance on how these standards can be met, through
assessment of the populations dietary needs, menu planning, guidance, and practical
suggestions on food choices suitable for different dietary needs, including special and
therapeutic diets.
Food in Hospitals aims to ensure a common and accurate understanding about different
patients nutritional and dietary needs by all those involved in food provision in the hospital
setting, from food procurement to on ward service. It sets out how not only caterers, but all
those involved in the provision of food and fluids to patients, including menu planning
groups, nurses, dietitians, speech and language therapists (SALT) and Commodity Advisory
Panels can help ensure appropriate food is procured, produced, available and provided to
meet the varying dietary needs of such a diverse population. Ultimately this document aims
to support the current culture change surrounding hospital catering to one that recognizes the
fundamental importance of appropriate food provision for every patient
As part of his or her treatment. This in turn will positively influence health and recovery.
NUTE-SPEC
NUTE-SPEC is just one element of the integrated program of work for improving nutritional
care in Pakistan. As part of the bigger implementation strategy both an educational
framework and practice development program are also being developed which will further
support delivery of the PMDC approved Clinical Standards for Food, Fluid and Nutritional
Care in Hospitals.