When in hospital, many would expect patients to receive
nutritious meals – being a building promoting health and wellbeing. Fresh foods
and unprocessed meals which doctors advise to eat for a healthy lifestyle is
what you’d expect to be on the patients menu, however a recent survey reveals
otherwise.
The survey,
carried out by the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, revealed that less than
one third of London hospitals serve freshly-prepared meals to patients. Most of
the time it’s cheap pre-prepared meals being served up, which are reheated for
efficiency and speed.
The survey was also telling in overall standards, revealing
that half of hospitals assessed hadn’t met all five of the basic Hospital Food
Standards required by the NHS hospital Standard Contract. This contract provides
guidelines for nutrition, sustainability and hydration.
With the poor results for patients’ meals, further results regarding what staff are served make for a less
satisfactory patient service in comparison. While few hospitals serve
freshly-prepared meals to patients, 77% of them did serve freshly-prepared
meals to staff. Of course, doctors and nurses are extremely hard-working and
valued, but it’s argued that patients in poor health or recovering from surgery
are just as, if not more worthy of fresh food, like the staff looking after
them receives.
Katherine Button, coordinator of the Campaign for Better
Hospital Food, said: “We applaud the 77 per cent of hospitals cooking food for
their hardworking staff freshly on-site, but sadly only 30 per cent of
hospitals are doing their patients the same courtesy.
“Hospitals must start to prioritise patient food, as they
already do for staff. Sick patients who are recovering from illness also
deserve freshly prepared tasty and wholesome food cooked with care.
“The Government has failed to take seriously the dire state
of hospital food for too long and now half of London hospitals are not meeting
even basic food standards.
“Good food plays an essential role in recovery, well-being
and morale, and patients and staff in NHS hospitals deserve better.”
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| Img: Sustain Web |
The Campaign for Better Hospital Food’s report also looks at
retailers available within the hospital, and whether they meet the four main
targets to promote healthy food.
The league table of retailers revealed that the Royal
Voluntary Service – working towards having 220 hospital shops by March next
year -, AMT Coffee and Greggs reached all targets in January of this year, while
fast-food chains available in some hospitals such as Subway and Burger King
failed to respond with their compliance of healthy promotion and advertising.
The campaigners are looking to boost healthiness and
freshness of hospital food, both in retailers, and the food provided for
patients by the hospital itself. Read more results and see the league tables on
the Campaign for Better Hospital Food’s report here.
Laura Sewell
An
aspiring journalist, Laura is our content writer intern. Pop-punk gig-goer and drag queen enthusiast,
Laura is working her way into the industry with an English A -Level and love of
writing about anything and everything in tow.
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