Nutrition 'concern' in care homes

The Care Commission want to see more staff training in nutrition

Almost half the care homes inspected in Scotland did not meet national standards for nutrition, a Care Commission report has found.

The commission said it was "concerned" at the high number of complaints it received on the issue.

In 2006/07 it received 91 complaints about eating, drinking and nutrition in care homes, with dehydration a major concern.

The commission has ordered improvements in the quality of nutrition available.

The Care Commission report, titled Eating Well In Care Homes For Older People, makes several recommendations to help improve standards of nutritional care.

Susan Brimelow, its director of healthcare regulation, said: "People in care homes are among the most vulnerable in our community.

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Almost half of care homes did not meet nutritional standards

"They depend on the care home and its staff to provide balanced meals and ready access to as much water and other liquids as they need.

"This report aims to make people aware of the standards of good practice we expect all care homes to follow. There is plenty of room to improve.

"We are concerned about the high numbers of complaints we receive and the enforcement action we have had to take to ensure the safety and welfare of people living in care homes."

The study analysed inspections of 303 care homes for older people in Scotland in 2006/07 and found that 51% met the National Care Standards in all the five areas regarding nutrition which they looked at and 49% of homes did not.

The report said the findings were "generally positive" and the researchers found that 85% of care homes had a written food and nutrition policy and 94% said they had access to an NHS dietician.

However, only 40% had their menus nutritionally assessed by a dietician, and some menus had not been planned to meet the individual needs of clients.

Improvement call

The Care Commission upheld or partially upheld 76 of the 91 complaints it received. Dehydration was the biggest issue, with complaints that people were not encouraged to drink regularly, or drinks were out of reach.

It upheld nine complaints about people who were not given enough help to eat and drink.

There were also complaints about dietary needs not being met, lack of fruit and vegetables, and unplanned weight loss or under-nutrition.

As a result of the complaints, the Care Commission made 101 requirements and 38 recommendations.

Elderly people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and families need to know that their loved ones are being looked after properly Johann Lamont MSP

It urged the Scottish Government to support an integrated programme across all agencies including the NHS and care homes to improve nutritional care.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Clearly any complaints are concerning but 91 complaints from a care home population of 37,300 shows the overwhelming majority of residents and their families are happy with the service provided.

"However, there is clearly room for improvement and we will use this report's findings to inform future development work on nutrition in care homes."

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Ross Finnie said: "It's vital that people in care homes have access to good quality food.

"This report will make distressing reading for those who trust care homes to look after older or vulnerable family members."

Scottish Labour's Johann Lamont called on the government to intervene as a matter of urgency to investigate how serious the problem is.

"Elderly people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and families need to know that their loved ones are being looked after properly," she added.