We are a dietetic led NHS community team with the aim to improve malnutrition prevention and treatment for people at the most risk, living in Bradford District and Craven (BDC).

We consist of 2 teams North Team covering Airedale and Craven, and South Team covering Bradford. We are employed by both Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Airedale NHS Foundation Trust as an ‘Act as One’ service that is equitable across the whole of BDC.

​Dietitians are qualified and regulated health professionals that assess, diagnose and treat dietary and nutritional problems. They use the most up-to-date public health and scientific research on food, health and disease which they translate into practical guidance for individuals and communities. For more info: What do dietitians do? (bda.uk.com)

STEW stands for Support and Train to Eat Well.

STEW training supports care homes to follow the BDC Malnutrition Management Guidelines for Care Homes and to meet high standards of nutritional care for their residents.

It includes STEW Catering Training for kitchen staff and managers, STEW Nutrition Workshops and STEW Nutrition Surveys.

All delivered by Dietitians to support the care home staff and residents.

• Support to meet Health and Social Care Act 2008 Regulations 2010 – Regulation 14:​ duty on service providers to ensure that service users are protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition or dehydration and have their nutritional needs adequately met
• Support to meet​ CQC Regulations: Meeting Nutritional and Hydration needs:​ People must have their nutritional needs assessed and food must be provided to meet those needs​
• Support from Specialist Dietitians. Including training, care home visits, resources and resident assessments.
• Less reliance on primary care prescribed oral nutritional supplements (ONS), more tasty, appealing and nutritious homemade alternatives and less medication management
• Knowledge and expertise to make appropriately fortified food and drinks with options that residents like and providing more choice for residents
• Increased knowledge and skills of modified texture diets for catering and care staff to make meals and safe, tasty, appealing and nutritious.
• Staff empowerment and confidence to manage malnutrition risk and meet CQC standards
• Improved quality of life for residents by providing nutrient dense, food based approaches to malnutrition prevention and treatment.

For enquiries regarding training please contact us at anhsft.bdcnst@nhs.net or 07586713311.

The BDC Malnutrition Management Care Pathway is a district wide guideline that supports: ​

• Early identification of residents at risk of malnutrition in a care setting​
• The initiation of an appropriate individualised Malnutrition Care Plan ​
• The provision of suitable and adequate food based, nutrient dense catering and care approaches​
• Individualised nutritional care approaches for residents​
• Support for those with complex medical conditions, eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties and specialist dietary requirements
• Appropriate oral nutrition supplement (ONS) prescribing following ACBS criteria
• Care home staff competency to prevent and manage malnutrition effectively within the home

“Thank you to all the dietitians from STEW, for the amazing support they’ve been giving to the nursing home. Your ongoing reviews, guidance, and especially the staff training have made a real difference. It’s clear you genuinely care about both the residents and the team, and it shows in everything you do.”

“The support we have received has been fantastic. The Dietitian has been great throughout and we cannot praise him enough for the time he has invested into our home. We have always found it difficult to implement new ideas in the home. It speaks volumes about the high quality of the training that staff have not only taken it all on board, but that they continue to follow the advice given, and the benefit to residents is brilliant. We cannot thank you enough for encouraging us to be part of the STEW programme and wish you had the same success in every home!”

“The Nutrition Support Team who liaise with us are very friendly people. They are always there to answer any questions we may have. The STEW training which is delivered is not too intense and delivered in a way that staff understand. The practical side of things are good as it gives staff more of an understanding.”