Hundreds of patients have been harmed after NHS staff forced them to eat solid foods when they were suffering from swallowing difficulties, according to a story on the Telegraph website.

NHS Improvement has revealed that its National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) received reports of two patients dying and a further five coming to significant harm after there was confusion among NHS staff about the term “soft diet.”

A total of 270 incidents were reported by NHS staff of patients in hospital suffering less serious harm such as having a choking episode or coughing because they were not given appropriate food, over a two-year period.

NHS Improvement, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and The British Dietetic Association are calling for an end to the use of the term “soft diet” as this can cause confusion among staff, patients and care givers.

Read the article.