Young at Heart Award
The Young at Heart Award is a development of the Heartbeat Award Scheme for caterers in residential homes and day care centres for older people. The award assesses food hygiene and nutrition, and establishments must be smoke free.
The Young at Heart Award scheme was developed in 2005, to ensure that establishments providing a quality catering service for older people are also rewarded. Caterers for older people e.g. in residential homes and day care centres are compelled by law to comply with Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006. Providing a good diet to older people helps minimise potential health problems and accelerates recovery from episodes of illness. Research has shown that people prefer to eat in a smoke free environment, even if they smoke. Smoking, both direct and passive is a major risk factor for diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Aims and Objectives
The aim of the of the project was to encourage good catering practices in residential homes and day centres for older people by means of a reward scheme
The objectives are that residential home and day centre caterers will:
- Comply with the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006.
- Ensure areas where food is served and eaten are smoke free.
- Pass the nutrition assessment of the Young at Heart Award based on The Caroline Walker Trust's Eat well for older people: practical and nutritional guidelines for food in residential homes and community meals (2004).
Partner Organisations
Partnership working between the 4 Borough Environmental Health Departments and the Public Health Department was already well established, as Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) from the Boroughs of Elmbridge, Guildford, Runnymede and Spelthorne have a long history of working with the Health Promotion Specialist – Nutrition/CHD (HPS/N) on implementing the Heartbeat Award scheme that rewards good quality in workplace catering establishments in Surrey.
Methodology
- EHPs have a duty to inspect the catering establishments eligible for the Young at Heart Award.
- The HPS/N produced a nutrition assessment questionnaire for the scheme based on Eating well for older people (The Caroline Walker Trust, 2004).
- Catering establishments that comply with the Food Hygiene Regulations (2006) and offer smoke free eating areas are asked to complete the nutrition assessment questionnaire.
- The caterers are then interviewed by the HPS/N to ensure they fully comply with the nutrition assessment
Evaluation
The scheme is ongoing (the Heartbeat Award scheme has been run in west Surrey since the early 1990s)
- 26 Awards have been given since the launch in June 2005 – 3 of these are renewals.
- There has been no formal evaluation but the scheme has been well accepted by the catering establishments receiving the Award, and appears to be a desirable commodity for promoting a good quality service to their residents/service users and prospective residents/ service users.
- The Award has been a useful tool for encouraging good practice. The HPS/N has discussed with managers of day centres what changes are necessary in their catering practices for them to pass the nutrition assessment. This has led to several day centres receiving the Award after making the required changes
Resources
There is no separate budget for this scheme. The EHPs have a legal obligation to visit the establishments. The HPS/N carries out the work as part of her work in promoting the nutritional health of the population of west Surrey. Administration costs are met by the Public Health Department. The project is staffed by 4 EHPS and 1 HPS/N. Administration is carried out by the Public Health Department admin. team.
Other materials required for the project include information leaflets for catering establishments, nutrition questionnaires and certificates
Promotion
The Young at Heart Award was launched in 2005 to an audience of managers of residential homes and day centres, and borough mayors, councillors, and officers. The EHPs inform caterers of the Young at Heart Award. Articles on the Award have appeared in the local press, and in the Health Promotion newsletter which is circulated to health professionals, statutory services, and voluntary and community organisations who work with older people.
Lessons Learnt
The main obstacle is a lack of time available for EHPs to promote the Award in some boroughs.
Future Developments
Further promotion of the scheme to managers of residential homes and day centres to encourage them to improve their catering practices in line with the Food Hygiene Regulations, and the nutritional assessment criteria
Contact Details
Name: Julie Nelson
Phone: 01483 532 828
Email: julie.nelson@surreypct.nhs.uk
Organisation: Public Health Department, Surrey PCT
Address: Jarvis Centre, 60, Stoughton Road, Guildford GU1 1LJ