Nutrition and Hydration Week at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

The Nutrition and Dietetics Department are supporting Nutrition and Hydration Week by visiting our wards and reminding staff about the importance of good hydration and nutrition.

The aim of Nutrition and Hydration Week is to illustrate how people can further improve their quality of life by making changes to eating and drinking habits.

The dietitians are running a programme this week to improve awareness and educate staff on the importance of good hydration and nutrition for all of our patients. Malnutrition-related illnesses can require complex treatments, prolong recovery periods and delay timely discharges at an increased cost to the NHS and patient.

The team also provides education, training and nutrition leadership on a variety of projects such as the prevention of pressure ulcers. 

Helen Stracey (Dietetic Services Manager) said: “Nutrition is always high on our agenda—our team of 25 dietitians work across all inpatient and outpatient areas promoting and implementing evidence-based practice.

“We are incredibly proud of our close working with colleagues to ensure those patients with specific dietary needs, texture modification (for example, soft food/purée diet) and eating issues get the optimum nutrition.

“It is important to us that we put our patients first.”