What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to your chosen theme?

We want to develop care home cookery as a career pathway in its own right in the care sector; one that makes a massive contribution to the health and wellbeing of residents in care homes.

We want to provide a qualification that assures everyone that the person who is cooking in the kitchen can not only provide adequate nutrition for people with dementia but can safely produce appetising, nourishing food that complies with special dietary needs and can enhance the quality of life for care home residents.

This should be open to the learning disabilities care sector where care support workers often cook alongside their clients– they are doing this with little training or investment in developing their practical cooking skills and knowledge of nutrition and special dietary needs.

Aspiration pneumonitis is an increasing cause of unplanned admission at a cost to the system in Norfolk of 3.75m last year; care home cooks need the skills to comply with IDDSI and still produce good food.

What does your project aim to achieve?

We see the development of care home cooks as vital to the reduction in problems associated with dysphagia – in receiving good nutrition and hydration and in reducing the incidence of aspiration pneumonitis.

Food and drink are key parts of wellbeing and health, often being an enjoyable part of care and activity for care home residents. Developing care home cook’s skills should enhance the quality of life for care home residents.

We will be able to deliver the course to two cohorts with our chosen partner in higher education.

The outcomes are:

·         reduced rates of unplanned admission for aspiration pneumonitis

·         reduction in malnutrition scores

·         increased CQC compliance re food and drink

·         improved feedback from residents, families and friends re food and drink

·         confidence and satisfaction scores from course participants

How will the project be delivered?

The idea was generated by care home providers and has been shaped by discussion with care managers.

The project team comprises representatives from Hassingham House Care Centre, Norfolk and Suffolk Care Support LTD, North & South Norfolk CCGs.

Homes where quality issues around food and drink have been identified by CQC and QA teams will be actively recruited

The course will be delivered by the chosen provider who has an established high profile school of hospitality and catering and robust evaluation system.

The funding will pay for two courses with 16 candidates per course.

The added value of the course will evidence:

·         a best practice model for excellent nutrition and hydration care within a care setting

·         potential for commissioning across STP as part of workforce development

·         care providers to be incentivised to apply for WDF to support cost of course

·         potential for adding to contractual requirement for care providers in contract to local authority or CHC

What and how is your project going to share learning throughout?

We will actively seek feedback from stakeholders during and after the course as well measuring outcomes.

We expect that the outcomes and impact of the course will be shared across the STP to our health and social care colleagues;  regionally with our counterparts and nationally via the Enhanced Health in Care Homes  futureNHS work space.

There are implications for workforce recruitment and retention within the social care workforce by developing care homes cookery as career pathway . This may open up the care sector to people for whom it had not been a consideration before . It may also offer another employment avenue for those who wish to cook professionally but for whom a commercial kitchen is not a comfortable  environment