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Hospital food
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Last modified date:4 October 2007
Hospital food is an essential part of patient care. Good food can encourage patients to eat well, aiding their recovery from surgery or illness. The Better Hospital Food programme aims to ensure the consistent delivery of food to patients that is safe, of good quality, nutritious, well presented and served at a time convenient to them.
Background
The NHS Plan set out a programme of action for the NHS to deliver high quality food and food services to patients.
The Better Hospital Food programme was launched in May 2001. It aims are to:
- produce a comprehensive range of recipes that every NHS hospital can use;
- redesign hospital menus to make them more accessible and easier to understand;
- introduce 24-hour catering to ensure food is available at all times;
- ensure hot food is available at midday and in the evening.
The programme is supported by the Better Hospital Food Panel, chaired by Loyd Grossman. NHS staff, patient representatives and the private sector are represented on the panel.
The Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme was extended in 2002 to include assessments of food and food service. PEAT results are given to the Healthcare Commission and published on the Better Hospital Food website. Results from the 2005 assessment are shown in the following table:
|
Hospital food - |
Excellent |
Good |
Acceptable |
Poor |
Unacceptable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2005 |
32.4% |
51.5% |
14.8% |
1.3% |
0.0% |
|
2004 |
8.1% |
50.3% |
35.2% |
5.9% |
0.6% |
June 2007: Information previously on the Better Hospital Food site is being moved: a revised link will be published as soon as possible.
Current Initiatives
Protected mealtimes
Protected mealtimes are periods on a hospital ward when all non-urgent clinical activity stops. During these times, patients are able to eat their meals without interruption and staff are readily available to offer help to those who need it. Research shows that patients whose mealtimes are protected eat more and are better nourished, improving their chances of recovery.
24-hour catering
Hot food has not always been available to patients who are admitted late during the day or who miss meal times because they are away from the ward receiving treatment. The introduction of 24-hour catering means that patients can have access to hot food, snacks and drinks at any time of the day or night.
Sustainability and seasonality
Sustainable food procurement includes sourcing food locally, using organic or fairly-traded goods and reducing food waste. Evidence suggests that using local ingredients can give both nutritional and environment benefits. As local produce does not travel far, it is likely to be fresher and have caused less pollution during transport.
Nutrition
Patients who receive good nutrition may have shorter hospital stays, fewer post-operative complications and less need for drugs and other interventions. Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of hospital patients are malnourished on admission. This is a major challenge to healthcare staff. Discussions are taking place with groups including the British Dietetic Association and Hospital Caterers Association to examine recommendations from a Council of Europe's report into hospital nutrition and establish the best way to take these forward.
Flexi-menu
NHS menus traditionally change daily over 1-3 week cycles. This gives patients a choice of dishes over a week, but not so many to choose from each day. Flexi-menu systems offer a fixed menu for both lunch and evening meals, allowing patients to select the food they enjoy more than once. This increased choice may help to reduce food waste.
Related links
June 2007: Information previously on the Better Hospital Food site is being moved: a revised link will be published as soon as possible.
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