Introduction to Nutrition and Hydration

Introduction to Nutrition and Hydration | E-Learning

Getting nutrition and hydration right in care settings is a patient safety issue, not just a dietary one.

For anyone working in a care environment and involved in the preparation, serving or monitoring of food and fluid intake, a solid understanding of nutrition and hydration is fundamental to safe practice. Poor nutritional status and dehydration in vulnerable people can accelerate physical decline, reduce resistance to infection, affect cognition and mood, and in some cases become a direct clinical risk.

This CPD-approved online course provides care staff with the foundational knowledge they need to understand what good nutrition and hydration looks like, how to recognise when service users are at risk, and what practical steps to take in response. The course defines terminology used in care documentation and communications, so that staff are confident working within multidisciplinary teams where nutritional care is discussed alongside clinical priorities.

What You Will Learn

• Key terms used in nutrition and hydration care, including malnutrition, dysphagia, dehydration, fluid balance and nutritional screening
• The basic elements of nutrition: macronutrients, micronutrients, and what a healthy, balanced diet looks like for adults
• The specific nutritional requirements of older adults and vulnerable people, and how these differ from general population guidance
• Factors that increase the risk of malnutrition in care settings, including illness, medication, social isolation, cognitive decline and swallowing difficulties
• Recognising the signs and symptoms of malnutrition and dehydration in service users
• Practical tools for identifying those at risk, including the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)
• The reasons why vulnerable people may struggle to maintain adequate hydration, and practical strategies to support fluid intake
• Your responsibilities as a care worker when you identify or suspect a nutritional concern
• When and how to escalate concerns to a registered dietitian, nurse or GP

Course Details

Who Should Attend?

This course is appropriate for care assistants, support workers, healthcare assistants, residential care staff, domiciliary care workers, and anyone in a care or support role who is involved in the preparation or monitoring of food and fluid intake for service users. It also provides a useful foundation for staff new to the care sector.

Certificate:

• PDF format certificates are issued as standard, as soon as you complete the course.

Course duration:

• The course includes around 65 minutes of video lead learning.

Test:

• This Introduction to Nutrition and Hydration course is tested online & you’ll need to gain a minimum of 70% in each of the modules to pass.
• You will undertake a multiple choice exam at the end of the course with short tests throughout to help cement your learning.

Pre-requisites:

• We recommend that you have a reasonable understanding of English & maths (e.g. GCSE grade D/Level 1) before undertaking this course.

Candidates:

• Purchase a place for yourself, or purchase a bundle for your colleagues.

Geographical coverage:

• The Introduction to Nutrition and Hydration course is available to candidates in the UK.
• The course can be delivered in other countries however candidates should be aware that the content was developed in accordance with current UK practice, protocols & guidance.

Venue:

• The Introduction to Nutrition and Hydration course can be run on any electronic device, but we recommend that a laptop/desktop is used to ensure that you can see the screen clearly.

Joining instructions:

• Shortly after you purchase your place on the course, we will email you your login details for the course.
• Visit this page to read the course joining instructions including everything you need to know about our e-learning courses.

Links:

• NHS Eatwell Guide