Nutrition

Introduction

Welcome, whether you are new to healthcare or completing your annual refresher

 

This course is written for TWO audiences:

  •  First-timers: Every concept is explained from scratch with plain language,

    real examples, and step-by-step guides.

  •  Annual refreshers: Yellow Refresher Reminder boxes highlight where practice

    drifts over time, updated guidance, and honest reflection questions.

 

Duration: approximately 1.5-2 hours   |   Pass mark: 70%

 

Read through each chapter as if your trainer is speaking directly to you

More Than Just Food and Drink

Malnutrition affects around three million people in the UK at any one time. Dehydration is one of the most common preventable causes of hospital admission in older adults. And yet, in healthcare settings across the country, meals are interrupted, fluid charts are inaccurate, and patients lose weight during admissions that were supposed to help them.

For first-timers: Good nutrition and hydration support is one of the most direct ways you can impact patient outcomes. You do not need to be a dietitian to make a real difference.

For refreshers: Studies consistently show that mealtime support quality drops during busy periods. Protected mealtimes get interrupted. Fluid charts are poorly completed. Be honest about your current practice.

Annual Refresher Reminder

Refresher question: When did you last complete a patient's fluid balance chart accurately for an entire shift?

If documentation is vague or estimated, clinical decision-making about dehydration is compromised.

When did you last actually watch how much a patient ate, rather than just ticking a box?

Objectives

By the end: understand why nutrition and hydration matter; recognise signs of malnutrition and dehydration; use the MUST tool; support patients at mealtimes; apply IDDSI for dysphagia; understand the MDT's role; and escalate concerns appropriately.