Tailored hospital food? NHS review urges shift to healthier and better-quality meals

26 Oct 2020 --- The UK National Health Service (NHS) is set to provide healthier and better-quality meals to both patients and staff. The move follows an independent review of hospital food, led by a panel of expert advisers, who suggest a more tailored approach to patient nutrition.

Nutrition takes a central role to newly laid-out structure, with each trust responsible for overseeing patient, staff and visitor catering to receive a named food service dietitian.

Notably, nutrition and hydration will also become a mandatory part of health and care professionals’ training, including existing doctors’ continuing professional development.

“This pandemic has demonstrated more than ever the importance of good food and proper nutrition. We must all prioritize our health and be empowered to eat well, whether we’re at home or in the hospital. This impressive report shows the way to good hospital food for all – patients, staff and visitors,” says Matt Hancock, secretary of state for Health and Social Care.

High-quality hospital food can improve staff well-being and speed up patient recovery, says the NHS.

The review comes at the heels of the UK government announcing a £3.7 billion (US$4.8 billion) fund to build 40 hospitals across England by 2030. These will include a focus on 21st-century catering facilities, including restaurants, central kitchens, patient dining spaces and ward kitchens.

Boosting recovery
High-quality hospital food can improve staff well-being and speed up patient recovery, says the NHS. While 58 percent of patients rate hospital food as very good or good, 39 percent of hospital staff feel that food and catering facilities offered in their workplaces were poor, according to a 2019 NHS staff survey.

With over 140 million meals served to NHS patients every year, and a further 1.25 million members of staff that require nourishing food and drink on shift, the review highlights the importance of improving both patient and staff satisfaction even further.

Good food is essential for patient recovery, so this review could be “game-changing” in turning the tide on poor-quality food being served across English hospitals. But only if the recommendations are implemented in full, says Rachel Power, chief executive at The Patients Association.

A tailored approach to dietetics
According to the review, it is important to consider that a significant proportion of the patient population are nutritionally vulnerable. It is also vital that hospitals pay close attention to the different needs of patients, staff and visitors, the review says. 

The different needs of patients are highlighted in the review, which explains that from diabetics to long-stay patients, nutritional needs are different and need to be monitored and tailored to the patients specific needs. Dietitians are best placed to help tailor the food offered to these different patients, drawing on their clinical and nutrition expertise.

It is equally vital that there are suitable options on patient menus for certain special diets, including finger food and textured meals. A range of choices is necessary so patients staying more than one night can have variety, the review notes.

Meeting the nutritional needs of the general hospital population and the particular needs

of individuals, requires a dedicated dietitian to work with the catering department. However, according to the reviewers, clinical dietitians are sometimes perceived as having little to do with the food service.

The review therefore recommends that the hospitals should: 

• Ensure there is a named food service dietitian in every trust responsible for
• overseeing patient, staff and visitor catering, with appropriate funding to support this role outside of clinical responsibilities.
• Dietetics and catering to work together toward healthier food for staff, in line with the Government Buying Standards and government dietary advice.
• Make nutrition and hydration a mandatory part of health and care professionals’ training, including existing doctors’ continuing professional development.
• Ensure food service is a mandatory part of the syllabus for dietitians.
• Develop an appropriate data-collection method on nutrition and hydration in all hospital settings, to ensure accurate monitoring and comparability.

Dietitians are best placed to help tailor the food offered to these different patients, drawing on their clinical and nutrition expertise.Steps to better hospital food
The government will establish an expert group of NHS caterers, dietitians and nurses to take forward the recommendations made in the report and decide on the next steps.

These include:

• Upgrading hospital kitchens so a 24/7 service can be provided to everyone.
• Introducing digital menus and food ordering systems, which can factor in a patient’s dietary and cultural requirements and nutritional needs. This will improve communication between dietitians and caterers, reduce food waste and provide patients with the right food for recovery.
• Agreeing with national professional standards for NHS chefs with mandatory professional development, including appropriate compulsory food hygiene and allergen training.
• Increasing the role of nurses, dietitians, caterers and staff well-being leads to overseeing food services so that nutritious meals are part of a patient’s recovery plan.

“Across the NHS and in the 40 new hospitals we are set to build, I want to ensure that we deliver really good hospital food. Alongside our new obesity strategy to improve the nation’s diet, the NHS is leading by example when it comes to public health,” Hancock concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou