Soil Association’s Food for Life Hospital Leaders Programme is now offering a package of support designed to help NHS Trusts to meet or exceed the requirements of the new NHS Staff Health and Wellbeing CQUIN.
With first actions required by July this year, the support package helps hospitals understand their current position in relation to food and drink provision as well as giving them the tools and the confidence to make the changes that will allow them to meet the CQUIN requirements.
The new CQUIN is one of four mandatory CQUINs that became operational in April 2016. Its goal is to improve the support available to NHS staff to help promote wellbeing in order for them to remain healthy and well.
Estimates from Public Health England put the cost to the NHS of staff absence due to poor health at £2.4bn a year – around £1 in every £40 of the total budget. Evidence from the NHS staff survey [1] and elsewhere shows that improving staff health and wellbeing will lead to higher staff engagement, better staff retention and better clinical outcomes for patients.
Dr Susannah McWilliams, Hospital Leaders Programme Manager, Food for Life said, “Food for Life is committed to ensuring the food offered by hospitals makes a positive contribution to a health promoting environment. Our Hospital Leaders programme builds on the work already being done by the Food for Life Catering Mark in hospitals throughout the country.
“The CQUIN support package has been designed to help Trusts unlock the benefits of the new NHS Staff Health and Wellbeing CQUIN, both in terms of staff health and wellbeing and financial incentives.”
The CQUIN outlines four key outcomes around food offered on premises that health care providers must achieve:
· The banning of price promotions on sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS)
· The banning of advertisement on NHS premises of sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS)
· The banning of sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) from checkouts
· Ensuring that healthy options are available at any point including for those staff working night shifts.
Over the past six years, the Soil Association’s Food for Life Catering Mark has been working to improve staff and visitor food in hospitals and has supported more than thirty five hospitals to achieve a Catering Mark for patient or retail food.
The Food for Life Hospital Leaders programme builds on the work of the Catering Mark, supporting trusts to create a health promoting food environment through a multidisciplinary approach.