Europe Resolution on Hospital Food

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Europe Resolution on Hospital Food


COUNCIL OF EUROPE- COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Resolution ResAP (2003)3 on food and nutritional care in hospitals

(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 12 November 2003
at the 860th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)

1. The Committee of Ministers, in its composition restricted to the
Representatives of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, member
states of the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field,
2. Recalling Resolution (59) 23 of 16 November 1959 on the extension of the
activities of the Council of Europe in the social and cultural fields;
3. Having regard to Resolution (96) 35 of 2 October 1996, whereby it revised
the structures of the Partial Agreement and resolved to continue, on the basis
of revised rules replacing those set out in Resolution (59) 23, the activities
hitherto carried out and developed by virtue of that resolution; these being
particularly aimed at:
a. raising the level of health protection of consumers in its widest sense,
.................................

5. Considering that access to a safe and healthy variety of food is a
fundamental human right;

6. Bearing in mind the beneficial effects of proper food service and nutritional
care in hospitals on the recovery of patients and their quality of life;

7. Bearing in mind the unacceptable number of undernourished hospital
patients in Europe;
8. Bearing in mind the fact that undernutrition among hospital patients leads
to extended hospital stays, prolonged rehabilitation, diminished quality of life
and unnecessary costs to health care;
9. Bearing in mind the Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1244 (1994)
on food and health;
10. Having regard to the First Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy of the
WHO European Region
(2000 – 2005),
11. Recommends that the governments of the member states of the Partial
Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field, having due regard to their
specific constitutional structures, national, regional or local circumstances, as
well as economic, social and technical conditions:
a. draw up and implement national recommendations on food and nutritional
care in hospitals based on the principles and measures set out in the
appendix to this resolution;
b. promote the implementation and take steps towards the application of the
principles and measures contained in the appendix, in fields where these are
not the direct responsibility of governments but where public authorities have
a certain power or play a role;
c. ensure the widest possible dissemination of this resolution among all
parties concerned, particularly public authorities, hospital staff, primary health
care sector, patients, researchers and non-governmental organisations active
in this field.

Appendix to Resolution ResAP(2003)3
1. Nutritional assessment and treatment in hospitals
1.1 Nutritional risk screening
i. The assessment of nutritional risk should take into account nutritional status
and the severity of disease.
ii. The nutritional risk screening method should be evidence based, in order to
secure the identification of patients who may benefit from nutritional support.
iii. The nutritional risk screening method should be easy to use and simple to
understand.
iv. The influence of age, growth and sex should be taken into consideration
when the nutritional risk of the patient is determined.
v. The nutritional risk of all patients should be routinely assessed either prior
to or at admission.

This assessment should be repeated regularly (intervals depending on the
level of nutritional risk) during hospital stay.
vi. Studies should be undertaken to develop and validate simple screening
methods, aimed for use in hospitals and primary health care sector.
vii. Identification of a patient at nutritional risk should be followed by a
thorough nutritional assessment, a treatment plan including dietary goals,
monitoring of food intake and body weight, and adjustment of treatment
plan.
viii. Standards of practice for assessing and monitoring nutritional risk/status
should be developed at a national and European level..........


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