Nutritional assessment in elderly care--a team approach.

This work began in February 1996 when nationally questions were being asked about the nutritional care patients were receiving in hospital. Within the Elderly Care Unit the multi-disciplinary team was also questioning the nutritional care patients received. The main concern raised was the lack of consistent nutritional assessment occurring within the unit. A multi-disciplinary nutritional group was formed to address this area of concern. It developed an assessment tool that identifies those patients at risk and provides guidelines for appropriate action.