IDDSI for Chefs and Care Teams: Who Is Responsible for What?
Shared responsibility needs clear roles
IDDSI for chefs and care teams works best when responsibilities are explicit. Clinicians recommend an individual plan; managers establish systems; kitchen teams prepare and test food; care staff check the meal against the plan and support the person; and everyone reports problems. Exact duties depend on the organisation and each worker’s scope.
Kitchen and service responsibilities
Kitchen teams need current recipes, suitable equipment, a method for testing at the point of preparation and a process for managing substitutions. Service staff need accurate meal identification and handover. A food that passed a test earlier can change with temperature, standing time or transport, so the organisation should decide when and where rechecking is required.
Care and clinical responsibilities
Care staff should have access to the current mealtime plan, know what to do if the meal does not match it, and observe the person rather than relying only on a label. Speech pathologists provide individual clinical recommendations and may contribute training; dietitians help address nutrition and hydration. Training supports knowledge, while workplace observation and governance support reliable practice.
Putting the guidance into everyday practice
A useful plan has to work during ordinary meals, busy shifts, community outings and handovers between people. Begin with one or two clear actions that match the person's current written recommendations. Make responsibilities explicit: who prepares the meal, who confirms it matches the plan, who provides assistance and who receives a report when something changes. This reduces assumptions and helps the team identify whether the difficulty is clinical, practical or related to communication.
Review the experience with the person wherever possible. Ask what feels comfortable, what is frustrating and which choices matter most. If a strategy is regularly skipped, explore why before labelling the problem as a lack of compliance. The wording may be unclear, equipment may be unavailable, the food may be unappealing, or the recommendation may no longer fit the person's circumstances. These details are useful information for a review.
Practical next steps
Start with the person's current plan, preferences and communication needs.
Record specific observations, including what happened, when and in what context.
Check that the current written information is available to authorised people who need it.
Escalate new or persistent concerns through the organisation's procedure and appropriate health professional.
Avoid changing an individual food texture, drink thickness, assistance or supervision requirement from general information alone.
Seek urgent medical help when there is an emergency or sudden severe change.
Important boundaries
This article provides general education. It cannot diagnose dysphagia or determine an individual's food texture, drink thickness, suitability for oral intake, treatment, supervision or level of risk. Recommendations depend on individual assessment and should be reviewed when the person's circumstances change.
This article and Swallowing & Dysphagia Support training are independently developed educational materials. They are not official IDDSI resources, education programs or certification, and they do not replace current materials available from IDDSI.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides an individual’s IDDSI level?
An appropriately qualified clinician makes individual recommendations after assessment. General IDDSI information or a staff course cannot determine a person’s prescribed level.
Who should test texture-modified food?
The organisation should allocate and document responsibility. Testing may occur in the kitchen and, where needed, again at service if consistency can change.
Does a certificate prove staff competency?
A completion certificate shows participation in learning. It is not professional certification or, by itself, proof of workplace competency.
Is IDDSI training the same as dysphagia training?
No. IDDSI training focuses on the framework and testing; dysphagia training covers broader swallowing signs, support, escalation and person-centred care.
What to do next
If this issue is affecting a person's meals or a team's ability to follow the current plan, enquire about role-specific iddsi training. SDS can help clarify the most suitable service and next step; recommendations remain individual and assessment-based.
About the author
Written for Swallowing & Dysphagia Support and clinically reviewed by Vanessa Chan, Speech Pathologist.
