Patients will rate hospitals on food quality in drive to improve nutrition

The Government is giving patients the power to rate food on hospital wards, in order to encourage hospitals, to raise standards of the food they serve.

Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary

For the first time, the NHS will have to abide by mandatory food standards.

The Hospital Food Standards Panel, led by Dianne Jeffrey, Chairman of Age UK, has published a report recommending five legally-binding food standards for the NHS. The panel has worked with a range of organisations, including royal colleges and nutritional experts.

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, said: “We are making the NHS more transparent, giving patients the power to compare food on wards and incentivising hospitals to raise their game.

“Many hospitals are already offering excellent food to their patients and staff. But we want to know that all patients have nourishing and appetising food to help them get well faster and stay healthy, which is why we’re introducing tough new mandatory standards for the first time ever.”

The mandatory requirements, which will be in the NHS Standard Contract include screening patients for malnutrition and giving patients a food plan; taking steps to ensure patients get the help they need to eat and drink; hospital canteens promoting healthy diets for staff and visitors and sourcing healthy food in a sustainable way.

In addition to the panel’s compulsory standards, it has also recommended that all hospitals develop a food and drink policy that aims to encourage healthy eating, high-quality food production, sustainability and excellent nutritional care.

Complementing the new standards, the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, has announced hospitals will, for the first time, be ranked on the NHS Choices website for the quality of their food.

Hospitals will be ranked on

• quality of food

• choice of food

• menu approved by a dietitian

• fresh fruit always available

• food available between meals

• choice at breakfast

• cost of food services per patient per day

Hospitals that do not follow the guidance recommended by the panel would be in breach of their commissioning contract (usually held with a clinical commissioning group), and commissioners will be able to take contractual action against them.

Dianne Jeffrey, chairman of Age UK and panel chair, said: “Being in hospital is often a very worrying experience and it can be made worse when the food is unfamiliar or unappetising and you have no control over what and when you eat and drink. Whilst hospitals are not five-star restaurants, it’s important that food and drink is tasty, nourishing and thoughtfully presented so that people can eat as well possible.

“Getting hospital food and drink right is critical and should also be considered an important part of someone’s medical care. Malnutrition and dehydration pose a real risk for patients if they go unnoticed and untreated. We know malnourished people will take longer to recover and suffer from more complications. No hospital can afford to neglect this essential part of their care.

“I believe these recommendations will help busy hospital staff make sure patients get appetising and nutritious food that they want to eat and are given the help they need to do so.”

Professor Edward Baker, deputy chief inspector of hospitals at the CQC, said: “It’s really important for patients to have access to good quality food based on their own needs. During our inspections, we speak to patients and check records to ensure patients are receiving the right food for their individual needs. Our findings determine which hospitals need closer inspection of their food practices.”

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, is also backing the recommendations as he said: “It is time for the NHS to set a clear example in providing healthier food for our patients, visitors and also our hardworking staff. That’s why NHS England has agreed to include hospital standards in the next NHS Contract, which will be published later this year.”

However, Christina McAnea, UNISON head of health, believes the Government's initiative does not go far enough.

She said: “There are minimum standards for food in schools and prisons, so why not in the NHS? Healthy, appetising food is vital to a speedy recovery and long-lasting health.

“Hospitals should move away from Cook/Chill food production, and towards cooking food on site, using locally sourced food. Outsourcing of catering services has had a detrimental impact on the quality of food served in hospitals, which is why so many people rely on vending machines and fast food outlets in hospital foyers.

“Hospital catering staff are working hard to produce quality food against the backdrop of budget cuts and privatisation. They also need enough time to ensure that patients are not only getting the right food, but have the help and time they need to be able to eat it.”