Culturally appropriate care means providing care that respects and reflects a person’s cultural background, values and preferences. It is a key part of person-centred care and supports dignity, inclusion and better outcomes.
In adult care, this involves:
- Understanding cultural identity – Being aware of a person’s heritage, beliefs, language, and customs.
- Effective communication – Using interpreters or translated materials when needed and communicating with sensitivity.
- Respecting beliefs and practices – Supporting religious observances, dietary needs, clothing preferences and family involvement.
- Staff training – Ensuring care staff understand cultural differences and avoid assumptions or stereotypes.
- Personalised care – Adapting care to reflect individual cultural needs and preferences.
This approach helps build trust, promotes equality and ensures care is inclusive for people from all backgrounds.
Below you will find useful resources to support you to provide culturally appropriate care.
Nutrition
| Resource name | Resource Description | Resource link |
|---|---|---|
| African, Caribbean and South Asian cuisines | This NHS resource provides practical guidance on making healthier food choices within African, Caribbean and South Asian cuisines. It supports individuals to improve diet and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes while respecting cultural food preferences | Click here |
| BDS - Religious, Cultural, Personal and Lifestyle Considerations | This resource outlines how food services should meet individuals’ religious, cultural and personal dietary needs, ensuring safe, appropriate and clearly labelled choices. It supports care providers to deliver inclusive, patient centred menus that respect diverse beliefs and preferences | Click here |
| Cultural influences on dietary choices | This research explores how cultural, social, economic and environmental factors influence food choices and dietary behaviours. It highlights the importance of understanding cultural context to support more effective, tailored approaches to improving nutrition and health outcomes. | Click here |
| Cultural menu options | This resource provides a hospital menu designed to meet a wide range of dietary requirements, including cultural, religious and allergen related needs such as Halal, Kosher, vegetarian and gluten free diets. It supports safe, inclusive food provision by clearly labelling options and ensuring patients can access meals that suit their preferences and health needs | Click here |
| Diabetes | Healthier You | Healthier You is a free NHS programme that helps people at risk of type 2 diabetes to improve their health through lifestyle changes such as healthier eating, being more active and managing weight. It provides personalised support, including coaching and group or digital sessions, to help build long-term healthy habits | Click here |
| Dietary requirements | This resource outlines how religious beliefs may affect dietary requirements and provides practical guidance for supporting these needs in the workplace. It encourages open communication to ensure individual preferences are understood and accommodated where possible. | Click here |
| Food and fluid: Things to consider before accepting a person who requires a therapeutic and/or faith/cultural diet | This resource outlines key considerations for care providers when supporting individuals with therapeutic, religious or cultural dietary needs, including communication, staff knowledge and care planning. It also provides guidance on a range of faith-based and vegetarian diets to help ensure safe, respectful and person-centred food provision. | Click here |
| Guidance on foods for religious faiths poster | This poster provides an overview of common dietary requirements across different religions, including foods to include, avoid and consider. It helps staff understand and respect diverse dietary practices when planning and providing meals. | Click here |
| Multi-cultural nutrition | This resource provides nutrition guidance tailored to people from different cultural backgrounds, including advice on vitamin D and healthy eating. It supports individuals and communities to make informed choices while recognising cultural needs and dietary differences. | Click here |
| The varied Eatwell plates | This resource explains how the Eatwell Guide can be adapted to reflect different cultural diets, including vegetarian, vegan, Caribbean and West African foods. It supports people to follow healthy eating guidance while choosing foods that are relevant to their cultural preferences. | Click here |
Skin
| Resource Name | Resource Description | Resource Link |
|---|---|---|
| Mind The Gap | This resource highlights how signs and symptoms can appear differently on Black and brown skin and aims to improve awareness in healthcare. It supports staff to deliver safer, more inclusive care by recognising these differences | Click here |
| Skin Colour | This chart helps identify different skin types based on how the skin reacts to sun exposure, including burning and tanning. It supports safe care by guiding decisions such as UV treatment and skin protection | Click here |
| Vitamin D | This guidance highlights that people with darker skin are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, as they require more sun exposure to produce sufficient vitamin D but must still follow safe sun practices. It recommends regular supplementation (10 micrograms daily) and tailored advice to support safe and effective vitamin D levels in these groups. 1. Sun Exposure Advice: o People with dark skin, such as those of African, African-Caribbean, or South Asian origin, need to spend longer in the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D as someone with lighter skin. However, they should be advised to avoid prolonged unprotected sun exposure due to the risk of burning and skin cancer. 2. Risk Factors for Reduced Vitamin D Levels: o Darker-skinned people are listed as a group at high risk of vitamin D deficiency. 3. Supplements: o Public Health England advises that people from minority ethnic groups with dark skin, such as those of African, African-Caribbean, or South Asian origin, might not get enough vitamin D from sunlight and should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms (400 IU) of vitamin D throughout the year. 4. Safety and Other Considerations: o A local specialist has advised that vitamin D normalization with standard dosage is often ineffective in individuals of South Asian origin, as well as in elderly patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. These points highlight the need for tailored advice and supplementation for individuals with darker skin tones, as they may require additional sun exposure or supplementation to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. | Click here |
Dementia
| Resource name | Resource Description | Resource Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Appropriate Resources | Adult and Social Care Services | This resource provides culturally appropriate tools, training and guidance to support health and social care staff in delivering more inclusive, person-centred care. It focuses on improving cultural competence, particularly in dementia care, through tailored resources that reflect individuals’ heritage, experiences and needs. | Click here |
| Dementia information in your language | Alzheimer's Society | This resource provides dementia information and support materials in a range of languages to help people access advice in a way that suits their needs. It supports individuals, families and carers to better understand dementia and access services, including interpreter support where required | Click here |
| Mansfield Museum Windrush Exhibition | This interactive 3D tour showcases the Mansfield Museum Windrush exhibition, exploring the experiences and contributions of the Windrush generation to local communities. It uses stories, artefacts and immersive displays to promote understanding of Black history, migration and cultural identity. | Click here |
| Pearl Dementia Support Network – Culture Remembers what Dementia Forgets | This resource provides culturally sensitive support for older people and those living with dementia, particularly from diverse communities. It offers opportunities to share experiences, access tailored activities and receive support that reflects individual cultural backgrounds | Click here |
Maternity
| Resource Name | Resource Description | Resource Link |
|---|---|---|
| Multilingual Maternity Resources | This resource brings together maternity information in over 50 languages to support both healthcare professionals and families. It helps improve understanding and access to care by reducing language barriers during pregnancy, birth and postnatal care | Click here |
Communities
| Resource Name | Resource Description | Resource Link |
|---|---|---|
| Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities | The Race Equality Foundation is a national charity working to tackle racial inequality and improve outcomes for Black, Asian and minoritised communities. It provides research, training and guidance to support more inclusive health, social care and public services. | Click here |
| Caribbean & African Health Network | The Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN) is a Black-led organisation working to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes for Caribbean and African communities. It provides support, education and advocacy to help individuals access services and improve wellbeing | Click here |
| Cultural and Practice Survey | This document presents findings from a culture and practice questionnaire exploring how practitioners understand and apply culture, ethnicity and identity in their work. It highlights strengths in inclusive team cultures and reflective practice, while identifying key barriers and opportunities to improve culturally responsive, person-centred care. | Click here |
| Diversity and Inclusion | This resource provides an overview of different religions and beliefs in Hertfordshire, including key practices such as diet, greetings and cultural considerations. It supports staff to deliver respectful, person-centred care by improving understanding of diverse communities while recognising individual preferences. | Click here |
| Jewish Care | Jewish Care is a UK charity providing health and social care services for the Jewish community, including support for older people, people living with dementia, and carers. It offers a wide range of services that respect cultural traditions and help individuals stay connected to their community. | Click here |