Independent care home directory Autumna has unveiled a new food accreditation designed to help people choose the right care home.
CHOICE Dining, a consumer-facing accreditation, offers ratings in six different categories, allowing individuals searching for a care home for themselves or their loved ones to better make an informed decision about the standard of care they can expect a care home to provide.
The new accreditation is the first food-focused accreditation for the UK care sector. To be awarded the CHOICE Dining badge, a care home will have to show its commitment to delivering an exceptional dining experience, with a strong focus on preference, individuality, hygiene, care, and the environment.
Specifically, the six categories of CHOICE Dining accreditation are ‘cuisine’, which looks at the preparation, nutritional value, and presentation of food; hygiene standards; options (which Autumna defines as ‘the freedom to eat the food you want, when you want’); individuality, particularly regarding cultural, religious, or dietary requirements; whether care is taken to deliver a respectful and quality service; and, finally, whether the food provided is environmentally and socially responsible and thoughtful.
Autumna’s founder Debbie Harris said: “Our research shows the dining experience in the care sector is as important as the dining experience in a hotel. If someone is used to fine dining, they’ll want somewhere that caters for them, while the same applies for the individual with simpler tastes. The dining experience is a critical component of any care service, and our CHOICE Dining rating helps differentiate care home and offers people even more assurance when deciding on the right type of care provision.”
To be awarded the CHOICE Dining badge, care homes must have a premium profile on Autumna, which boasts a directory of over 26,000 care providers.
