CARE HOME FOOD MUST BE TAILORED TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS SAYS POLL

A POLL has revealed that almost three quarters (71 per cent) of care industry professionals think the food served in care homes should be more targeted to the nutritional needs of individual residents.

Delegates at this year’s Care Roadshow in Birmingham were asked their views on the quality of catering in care homes.

Just 29 per cent of people polled thought care home food met the nutritional needs of individual residents whereas 71 per cent said it could be improved.

The opinion poll, carried out by the CAP Awards, was conducted to highlight how essential it is to serve quality, resident-focused meals.

CAP Awards Managing Director Ian Jackson said the results indicated that there was a desire to improve catering standards across the sector.

He said: “Providers must listen to what their residents want and be flexible to their needs and tastes to ensure food is always appropriate.

“Nutrition is a key factor in the maintenance of good health, especially amongst older people, and what is required for one person might not be the same as someone else with a different condition, dietary requirements or medication regime.”

The CAP (Continuous Advancement Programme) Awards are one of the healthcare industry’s leading measures of quality in catering and housekeeping.

Previous winners include homes from Gracewell Healthcare, Castlebeck and The Huntercombe Group.

Over the past three years a growing number of care homes have opened their doors to have their housekeeping and catering services rated by CAP inspectors, which award either a Bronze, Silver or Gold level for the quality of service on offer.

Crucially the awards are also acknowledged by the Care Quality Commission and count as evidence in the Quality & Risk Profile and in CQC inspections.