Updated Communicating Safe Eating and Drinking Guidance now available

We have updated our Communicating Safe Eating and Drinking guidance. This guidance supports clinicians and health service staff to clearly communicate the risks and care needs of patients who have difficulty eating, drinking or swallowing.

View the updated guidance

Swallowing problems can place patients at risk of choking or breathing food, drink or medicines into their lungs. These events can cause serious harm. Reviews of past incidents in Victorian health services have shown that unclear communication and inconsistent documentation are common contributing factors.

The updated guidance provides practical information on how to:

• communicate swallowing risks in a clear and consistent way
• document and share supervision needs, including who should supervise and when
• describe modifications to food, fluids and medicines using standard terminology
• communicate patient and environmental adaptations needed to support safe eating and drinking
• ensure information is shared across the whole care team, including food services and support staff.

The guidance aims to strengthen communication practices across Victorian health services and reduce preventable harm linked to unsafe eating and drinking.