Raising hospital food standards

A set of basic principles covering the quality of food, nutritional content and choice for patients will be published alongside guidance for all hospitals, which will be backed up by new inspections led by patients.

The Government has teamed up with charities and professional bodies, including Age UK, the Patients Association and the Royal College of Nursing, to drive up standards. The quality of food received while in hospital is an essential part of good care and ensuring patients are treated with dignity and respect. The culture of care across the NHS, particularly for the most vulnerable such as the elderly, is a top priority for the new Health Secretary.

The new drive includes: Clear directions for hospitals on reducing fat and salt, including more fruit and vegetables on the menu and making sure food is bought in an environmentally sustainable way; Eight clear principles the NHS must follow for patient food, and; New patient-led hospital inspections to make sure these principles are followed and standards actually improve.

Teams of inspectors, half of which must be patients themselves, have now started pilot inspections across the country looking at aspects of food that are important to patients – including taste, quality, temperature and the cleanliness of ward kitchens. Financial incentives for hospitals who deliver exceptional service are also being explored. Food is a key part of the new inspections but they will also cover cleanliness, privacy and dignity as well as the state of the hospital environment in general.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of The Patients Association, said: “Patients tell our helpline that high quality nutrition is an essential ingredient in improving their care and outcomes. But it is equally important that support from health professionals accompanies these changes so that vulnerable and elderly patients, such as those with dementia, experience the full benefits.

“The Patients Association is delighted with these new principles and in particular the commitment to introduce patient-led inspections, ensuring they actually make a real difference on hospital wards though is the key test.”

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Giving patients the ability to choose their food is a welcome move, which already works well at many hospitals. These principles should help hospitals to procure good food, cost effectively. We also recognise how important it is for patients to have ready access to drinks. Aside from this, the experience of nurses shows that there are other factors which can help patients with their nutrition – for instance, keeping wards quiet during ward rounds, and involving family members where possible.”

The eight fundamental food principles, supported by Age UK, Patients Association, Hospital Caterers Association, Royal College of Nursing, Soil Association, British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the British Dietetic Association, set out what patients can expect from good hospital food (see panel opposite). The full programme of inspections is expected to start next April, after the pilot results have been examined. Hospitals will receive a rating on each area at the end of their inspection, and the results will be published online.

The Hospital Caterers Association, welcomed the move. Janice Gillan, national chair, said: “There is clear medical evidence showing that good nutrition can help with the prevention or reduction of certain hospital acquired health conditions such as bed sores and a more personalised approach to nutritional care can improve patient wellbeing, aid recovery and accelerate discharge as well as help meet targets for reducing NHS costs. These should be persuading factors alone for NHS Trust chief executives to give support to hospital food services. But now, with the Government behind the call for improved standards as well as the requirement for all NHS hospitals to follow the eight principles for patient food and nutritional care, then there will be even greater encouragement for NHS Trusts to raise their priority for catering services and budgets which can only be beneficial for hospital caterers endeavouring to provide a high standard of food for their patients”.

However, campaign groups have suggested the principles don’t go far enough. The lack of support across Whitehall for the food buying standards, for instance, has been well-publicised. Alex Jackson, co-ordinator of the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, explained: “In the last 10 years alone, the Government has spent more than £54m of taxpayers’ money on similar projects, all of which have proven to fail. It’s time for the Government to take real action to improve hospital food by requiring all hospitals to meet compulsory food standards.”

Some hospitals have already taken steps to improve the quality of food they provide. Northumberland Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has begun using a colour picture menu following feedback that many older patients, sometimes with dementia, would order the last thing on the menu as they found it difficult to remember the other options. The Royal Cornwall Hospital, meanwhile, has increased the procurement of fresh and local ingredients. The Royal Brompton & Harefield Trust featured in national papers and on television in programmes such as the BBC’s Operation Hospital Food with James Martin.

Further information
Hospital Caterers Association - www.hospitalcaterers.org
Campaign for Better Hospital Food - www.sustainweb.org/hospitalfood