Mealtimes in care homes
Healthwatch Barnet carried out Enter and View visits to six care homes, as part of a best practice exercise, to find out about residents’ mealtime needs.
What we found
Our researchers saw many examples of mealtimes being delivered well. Where we found areas for improvement, we provided detailed feedback to individual care homes and worked with them on implementation. We also shared our findings from each visit with local commissioners and the Care Quality Commission.
Following our observations, we have put together some good practice guidelines which we hope will be useful to many of the other care homes in Barnet. You can find these guidelines on pages 4-8 of the report.
Below are some of the key points.
Mealtimes: what works
- Environment: to create a welcoming atmosphere, homes can make use of bright and inviting décor, textured artworks, plants and flowers.
- Social connection: it is helpful to organise special meals for events such as religious holidays and Black History Month.
- Feedback: valuable information can be gathered through resident feedback meetings, one-to-one conversations and periodic surveys.
- Accessibility: residents’ independence can be maximised through tools such as large print, pictorial menus and easy-grip cutlery.
- Food and drink: the best menus include a good level of choice, some culturally diverse dishes and appealing, healthy options such as flavoursome vegetable side dishes.
- Health and safety: it is important to ensure that only experienced staff serve meals, particularly to residents with specific needs. Wherever possible, this should be done by employees who know residents well rather than agency staff. In rare instances where agency staff are used for this work, homes should ensure they are experienced carers and are thoroughly briefed.
- Support: staff can enhance residents’ mealtime experiences by encouraging them to eat at their own pace, seeking feedback and offering second helpings.
