Afternoon tea with fresh scones and cakes will be served to every inpatient at King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals on Thursday, 19th March to celebrate and raise awareness of Nutrition and Hydration Week 2015.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of good nutritional care, including hydration, in all social and healthcare settings.

Information stands highlighting how important nutrition and hydration is to the care of patients will also be available in the King’s Treatment Centre at King’s Mill Hospital on Tuesday, 17th March and Wednesday, 18th March, from 10am-3pm. Members of the executive team will on the wards serving afternoon tea and helping serve meals throughout the week.

Angela Hill, nutrition nurse specialist at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “The importance of food and drink in the healing process cannot be underestimated and it is our responsibility to ensure we promote the positive value of mealtimes.

“Staff across the Trust have a vital role to play in promoting good practices that help prevent malnutrition and the related illnesses that often require complex treatments, prolong recovery periods, delay hospital discharges and increase NHS costs.

“Nutrition and hydration is essential to patients’ recovery during their time at hospital and we work hard to ensure the importance of mealtimes is recognised.

The trust launched the ‘Making Mealtimes Matter’ campaign across all hospitals as a way of ensuring patients are able to eat their meals in a calm, supportive environment, and that assistance can be provided by staff.

During mealtimes patients are supported to enjoy their meal without interruptions. This does not mean that staff leave the ward, but activities involving patients are kept to a minimum in order to respect privacy and patients’ wellbeing. Relatives and friends are also welcome on the wards at mealtimes to support their loved ones with eating and drinking.

Pictured is trust chairman Sean Lyons on Lindhurst Ward at Mansfield Community Hospital.