Millions of NHS patients and staff will benefit from tastier, healthier and better quality meals following an independent review of hospital food, led by a panel of advisers including chef and restaurateur Prue Leith.

Published today, the review makes recommendations on how NHS trusts can prioritise food safety and provide more nutritious meals to both staff and patients.

The government has today announced it will establish an expert group of NHS caterers, dietitians and nurses to take forward the recommendations made in the report and decide on next steps.

These include:
• upgrading hospital kitchens so a 24/7 service can be provided to everyone; from a hot drink and a snack in the middle of the night to a hot meal for new mums in a maternity ward or for patients hungry after a long fast due to surgery, plus facilities for staff to store, prepare and eat food at any time during the day or night
• 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 national professional standards for NHS chefs with mandatory professional development, including appropriate compulsory food hygiene and allergen training
• increase the role of nurses, dietitians, caterers and staff wellbeing leads in overseeing food services so that nutritious meals are part of a patient’s recovery plan

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said, 'This pandemic has demonstrated more than ever the importance of good food and proper nutrition. We must all prioritise our health and be empowered to eat well, whether we’re at home or in hospital. This impressive report shows the way to good hospital food for all - patients, staff and visitors.

'Across the NHS and in the 40 new hospitals we are set to build I want to ensure - with Prue’s help - 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.'

Restaurateur, celebrity chef and television presenter Prue Leith CBE, said, 'The review provides best-in-class examples of how hospitals can serve delicious, nutritious and nicely presented meals on a budget.

'Food is not only important to health, but to morale. Hospital mealtimes should be a moment of enjoyment and a pleasure to serve. They should inspire staff, patients and visitors to eat well at home.'

Recruitment has now begun for the expert group led by the review’s chair, former head of the Hospital Caterers Association and catering lead for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Philip Shelley.

Philip Shelley, chair of the hospital food review, said, 'Just as our staff need the right tools to do their job, we also need to ensure that they have the nutrition and hydration they require to perform their crucial roles.

'The wellbeing of our NHS staff is vital because it affects their mental and physical health as well as the quality of care they deliver for patients. A lack of nutritious food and drink can contribute to feelings of stress and lack of control in the workplace.'

Philip Shelley and Prue Leith visited catering managers, staff and patients across the country, looking at best practice from those leading the way in NHS food quality and innovation. The findings of the hospital food review echo many of the themes in both the government’s recently published Obesity Strategy and part one of the National Food Strategy.

This includes the importance of healthy, nutritious and tasty food for physical health and wellbeing; how COVID-19 has highlighted the need to improve the nation’s dietary health; and the need to also focus on our culture around food, not just on the food itself.

High-quality hospital food can improve staff wellbeing and speed up patient recovery.

While 58% of patients rate hospital food as very good or good, 39% of hospital staff feel that food and catering facilities offered in their workplaces were poor. (Source: NHS England, 2018 National NHS Staff Survey in England, 2019.)

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.

Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon Restaurants and independent lead on the National Food Strategy, said, 'We urgently need to get to grips with the slow-motion disaster that is the British diet. If we are to succeed, hospitals must be a guiding light.

'This is a refreshingly innovative review which not only offers solutions for hospitals but offers 3 principles that any institution could use to improve their food: realise that leadership not decree is what creates change, put in place a ‘whole-institution’ approach, and focus not just on the food, but on the food culture, ensuring that everyone from the board members to the patients are eating from the same kitchen. But most of all – with its Power of 3 approach – it puts love, care, and humanity at the centre of any solution.'

Following an outbreak of listeriosis in 2019, the Health Secretary of State announced this ‘root and branch’ review of food served and sold in hospitals.

Today’s report makes recommendations for system level change, covering staff, nutrition and hydration, food safety, facilities, technology, sustainability and enforcing standards. The recommendations aim to ensure every NHS catering supplier, worker and contractor is meeting the highest standards to prevent foodborne infection and keep patients safe.

This includes training hospital workers, including ‘non-catering’ staff such as nurses, on food hygiene matters relevant to their work, and ensuring suppliers uphold Food Safety Association and Public Health England standards.

The review also contains a checklist for catering managers and chief executives with the key principles of providing a good food service.

Many of the recommendations can be implemented now, at no additional cost. The government also recently announced a £3.7bn fund to deliver 40 hospitals across England by 2030 which will include a focus on 21st-century catering facilities including restaurants, central kitchens, patient dining spaces and ward kitchens.

Rob Percival, Head of Food Policy at the Soil Association, said, '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.

'It’s time food standards were regulated with monitoring and inspections to ensure good practice. It will be brilliant to see hospital trusts using their buying power to support British farmers and enable environmentally sustainable food production.'

Chief Executive, Rachel Power, The Patients Association, said, 'When a patient stays in hospital, they are strongly conscious of the importance of the food they are served – most patients told us it has a direct bearing on their experience, and that the presentation of it affects how much they will eat. We therefore welcome the strong ambition for hospital food shown in the report’s recommendations.

'The call for food to be available to patients 24/7, even if just a snack and hot drink outside mealtimes, is just one example that we know, from what patients told us, will make a positive difference if implemented.'

(source: gov.uk/, image: ISS)