Aim and Objectives
- Improve the knowledge and confidence of care staff about supporting people with eating and drinking.
- Improve the mealtime experience, quality of life, health and care of residents in care homes and other care settings.
- Reduce avoidable distressing incidents related to eating, drinking and swallowing.
- Reduce hospital admissions relating to aspiration.
Resources and related materials for
The Manual for Mealtimes
You can view and download the “Manual for Mealtimes: supporting residents with eating and drinking”. It includes information on how and when to refer to Speech and Language Therapy
You can view a A Vimeo video on Manual for Mealtimes
The Manual for Mealtimes contains detailed advice on how to support people with eating and drinking. The advice is evidence based and aligns with the National Health and Wellbeing outcomes framework.
The Manual for Mealtimes also fits with the Care Inspectorate publication for inspectors and care homes
“Supporting people with eating , drinking and swallowing difficulties”.
More information on
The Manual for Mealtimes
There are clear instructions how and when refer a person to SLT for urgent assessment, and when the problems could potentially be self-managed. A referral form is included.
Guidance is in colour coded sections, which link with a chart “Eating and drinking problem chart” which staff can use to identify the most important factors to consider.
The factors are:
- Alertness
- Environment
- Sensory changes
- Positioning
- Pain
- Mouth care
- Helping the person to eat and drink
- Medication
- Reflux
- Social aspects
- Texture
- The person’s preferences,
- Rights and risks
- Cognition
There is also a form to record any changes that have been tried, and whether they helped.
The appendix has filled examples of the forms to demonstrate how to use them. The Care Inspectorate has endorsed the use of these forms as a way to evidence good practice and if changes are successful, people with less severe problems do not need to be assessed by SLT.
The Manual also contains texture sheets describing the 7 standardised international levels for dysphagia diets (IDDSI).
The Manual and all the forms can be found on the Care Homes web pages, together with a link to the narrated training presentation.
The presentation covers information about how the normal swallow works, what can go wrong, and how to use the Manual. During the presentation there are opportunities to try things out and reflect on how dementia affects a person’s experience of eating and drinking.
The SLT service is happy to support use of the Manual when staff are unsure what to do.
When staff have made changes which have not worked, a referral should be made, using the forms from the Manual.
Further information
For information on Speech and Language (SLT) services and referral processes please see the following webpages.
Speech and Language: Service and information
Speech and Language: Referral Pathway
