Consultancy

With over 50 combined years in creating, evaluating and advising on menus and meal requirements in aged care settings, Nutrition Professionals Australia has the expertise you need to find practical, cost-effective, client-focused solutions that is tailored to your organisation and your food service.

Through our individualised consultation services, we can assist with:

Audit of menus and special diets
Assessment of nutrition content and serving sizes
Guidance on identifying malnutrition
Review of policies, procedures and operations

Remote audits
Regular visits and support from an Accredited Practicing Dietitian
Seminars, workshops and tailored education sessions
Dietitian consultations for residents

Menu & Mealtime Assessment

Aged care menus must be reviewed every 12 months to ensure that they meet residents' needs and the requirements of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Standards.

But do you and your team know what to look out for? Which areas may be falling short, or have scope for even further improvement?

An assessment of the menu is much more than just looking at the menu structure – especially since the menu you read does not always reflect the meals that are actually served. And while the descriptions may sound healthy and delicious on paper, they don’t necessarily offer a nutritious and enjoyable mealtime experience.

Finding the balance can be tricky. But that’s where NPA’s menu and mealtime assessment experience comes in.

We work with you to identify the links between food service and nutrition care of residents, uncover gaps in provision of nutrition care, and develop realistic, sensible and effective strategies for quality improvement.

Nutrition Professionals Australia provides a comprehensive menu and mealtime assessment that includes:

A visit to your organisation to meet with key catering, nursing and care staff
Audit of serve sizes
Review of documentation
Review of nutrition, and special diet policies and procedures
Identification of processes to identify malnutrition, and provide nutrition support
Quantitative assessment of nutrition provided to residents
Identification of how food service integrates into nutrition care

At the conclusion of the assessment, we then provide you with a comprehensive report of recommendations to meet best practice and Aged Care Quality and Safety Standards. The report is written directly against the standards, so you can easily integrate them into your quality improvement processes.

We are also able to conduct nutrition assessment of your recipes and/or the entire menu to demonstrate that it is able to meet the nutrition needs of elderly people.

Contracted Dietitian Services

A regular visit from one of NPA’s Accredited Practising Dietitians to your aged care organisation can be an excellent and effective way to keep on top of your residents’ needs and requests, and help ensure they’re enjoying a healthier, better quality of life.

Through our contracted dietitian service nutrition specialists are able to monitor and facilitate a range of food and nutrition services including:

Review of individual residents’ nutrition care.
Attendance at catering or nutrition care meetings.
Development and implementation of a nutrition screening tool to identify residents at risk of malnutrition.

Provide a flow chart for nutrition supplementation and monitoring of residents’ nutrition status.
Offer advice regarding the most appropriate and cost effective supplements.
Review texture modified diets and thickened fluids.
Guide the implementation of IDDSI guidelines.
Review diabetes management.
Advice on special diets guidelines.
Offer recipe analysis and review.
Provide expert troubleshooting advice where requested.

Monthly visits to your premises are recommended, but other time-frames can be negotiated.

Review of Individual Residents

Our Accredited Practising Dietitians are able to review the nutrition and dietary needs of your residents and assist you in ensuring that they’re enjoying the best nutrition and mealtime experience possible.

Through our dietitian consultations, we can:

Assess individual resident nutrition issues and requirements
Assess nutrition status
Develop nutrition care plans
Liaise with medical, nursing and food services staff to ensure optimal care
Provide a meal plan for food services or care staff
Provide written dietary guidelines

Remote Consultations

Remote consulting is a great way to save on travel costs, and still keep in regular touch with a dietitian about your residents. All you need is a computer and webcam capabilities (and ideally a login to your clinical software system where appropriate).

Our expert team can provide remote assessment and advice regarding your aged care residents via Zoom. This service is invaluable when you are unable to access a dietitian services regularly.

One of our experienced aged care dietitians will conduct a review of your resident needs, discuss a plan of action with your staff and provide a written report with recommendations and a meal plan where relevant. They will also attend your facility once annually to observe the food service procedures and meet with the clinical team to ensure that our advice is tailored to your organisation’s needs.

Please note, we will require some documentation about the resident prior to the appointment (e.g. medical history, weight history etc.)

To get the remote consultation process underway, simply call us and we can then:

Send you a list of the information we need about the resident
Review all information provided
Speak to you via phone or web-based app
Discuss relevant issues relating to the nutrition care of the resident
Speak to the consumer via web-based app too if appropriate
Provide a written report that can be entered into the medical record
Provide a written meal plan for the care plan and the kitchen

Make a Referral

Please download and fill out the referral form and either fax it to us on (08) 8227 1200 or email to [email protected]. We will then be in contact with you to make a suitable time for one of our dietitians to attend your facility or we will arrange a Zoom meeting if you requested a remote review.

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