Mealtime Management and Dysphagia Policy

A mealtime management and dysphagia policy setting out how workers give safe, dignified mealtime support, including to participants with swallowing difficulties. It aims to prevent choking, aspiration, malnutrition and dehydration in home, SIL, respite and community settings.

What is inside:

• Definitions of dysphagia, aspiration, mealtime management plans and the IDDSI framework
• Responsibilities for workers, supervisors, participants and the document owner
• Steps before, during and after a meal, including positioning, pacing and signs of choking
• What to do when a participant without a plan shows signs of swallowing difficulty
• Shared kitchens: matching texture to the right person, allergen separation and labelling
• When limiting access to food or the kitchen may be a restrictive practice
• Choking emergency procedure in line with ANZCOR
• Training, records and evidence, and food safety laws for each state and territory

Good to know: modified textures and thickened fluids may only be used under a current mealtime management plan. The plan is developed with a speech pathologist or relevant clinician.

• Reviewed against the current NDIS Rules, Practice Standards and Commission guidance
• Editable DOCX with a placeholder legend, so you enter your details once
• Instant download

These templates are general information, not legal advice. No template can guarantee registration or audit outcomes.