Hospital food standards
The Trust welcomes the publication of mandatory food standards for the NHS. These standards aim to improve the overall approach to hydration and nutrition, which goes far beyond just the food that is served within hospitals.
Dr Stuart Windsor, the lead for Facilities at Derriford Hospital, said: “Over the past year we have worked hard to improve the experience that our patients have of the food that is served within the hospital. We have worked with our catering partners (Serco), Dieticians, Matrons, a range of clinical professionals, and patient representatives, to develop a new patient menu which was launched earlier this year. This menu was developed following public tasting sessions, and a trial run of the full menu where each combination of dishes was assessed. The menu was fully reviewed and scored for nutritional content. Even the Trust Board were involved and gave their feedback through two lunchtime tasting sessions. Alongside improvements to the menu, we have visited other Trusts so that we could understand what they do differently, and as a result we have made changes to how the meal service runs. The changes that we have made this year have been recognised in the Trust’s patient-led assessment scores which were release this week. The Trust saw a significant 10% improvement in the assessment scores for food and hydration, which places the Trust slightly ahead of the National average in this category. That said, there is still work to do, and we are committed to continuing to improve our approach to the patient mealtime experience.”
Bev Cox, Deputy Director of Nursing, said: “Within the Trust we have many areas that provide an excellent mealtime service, but we recognise that this good practice is not consistently shared and delivered everywhere. The Trust has received helpful and informative feedback from HealthWatch Plymouth and our other patient representatives, which has highlighted what we do well, and where we need to improve. One of the key things in achieving a great mealtime service is everyone working together: from the ward staff; the dieticians; and the patient catering staff. We have recently re-launched our Nutritional Steering Group with a widened membership, so that we can benefit from a broader range of ideas and greater collaboration. We are also working a “Making Mealtimes Matter” campaign, which will take great practice and make sure that it is rolled out consistently across the Trust, with all staff playing their part.”
Bev Cox added: "We believe that the Trust meets the majority of the standards launched today. For instance, the majority of our wards offer protected mealtimes, and we work closely with the many valuable volunteers who offer their time to support ward mealtime service. The Trust already screens patients for malnutrition and uses visual triggers, such as red trays, to identify those who need assistance. We work with dieticians and speak and language professionals to ensure that patients are offered the diet most appropriate to their needs. Naturally, we will review in detail all of the standards published today and we will continue to work with the specialists in the Trust, and our patient representatives to ensure that each standard is fully met.”
Dr Stuart Windsor said: The new standards extend beyond just the patient meal service. Over the past year the Trust has been working to improve our facilities for visitors and staff too. We have worked with our partners, Serco, to change the menu available in the Restaurant, with increased focus on healthy eating options. Working with Warrens, we have also launched a “Fresh to Go Juice Bar”, which offers healthier eating and drinking options just inside our main entrance. We are committed to working with all of our retailers to ensure that patients, visitors and staff are offered an increasing choice of healthier options.”
Patient Menu at Derriford Hospital
A spokesman at Derriford Hospital said: "Our patient menu was compiled by a group of staff comprising catering professionals, dieticians and nursing staff with help from patient representatives. All the dishes that appear on our seven-day menu have been extensively trialled and sampled.
"The Trust’s dieticians have been an integral part of the team, responsible for checking that all the selected dishes complied with existing standards.
"The Trust have tried to keep the menu simple in order for patients to be able to recognise dishes and in order to appeal to people who may be feeling unwell. Alongside the standard menu, the Trust has developed a range of special dietary menus for instance Higher Energy, diabetic, modified texture, and cultural diets. Serco have a team of patient catering staff who are able to further adapt the menu options to specific dietary requirements. Our menu is available here."
