Complex Nutritional Support

The importance of food to the health and wellbeing of patients is well recognised. Malnutrition can affect people who are ill in hospital or those living in the community.

The causes of malnutrition are multifactorial: poor appetite, physical disabilities, swallowing impairments; increased metabolic demands for nutrients; nutrient losses due to vomiting and diarrhoea and malabsorption. (NICE CG 32, 2017)

Without help from specialists e.g. nutrition nurses, doctors and dietitians, the person’s nutritional condition will deteriorate leading to longer hospital stays, more complications and potentially death.

Complex Nutritional Care is defined by: nutrition provided other than by the oral route. This necessitates either the insertion of a tube into the gastrointestinal tract (enteral nutrition) or a catheter into the vein (parenteral nutrition) to provide nutrition.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Complex Nutrition Standards (HIS, 2015) have produced guidance on policy and strategy, assessment and plan of care, enteral tube feeding, parenteral nutrition, supporting patients and staff education and training.

The NHS Lothian policy with accompanying best practice statements, procedures and guidelines will aim to meet the standards as outlined by Healthcare improvement Scotland.