Food in Hospitals

Visit the Food in Hospitals Practice Database.

New Standards to Improve Nutrition for Hospital Patients

Health Minister Edwina Hart visited Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny on 13 of August to see how new standards on nutrition are being implemented to improve patient care.

The standards have been developed by the Welsh Assembly Government following an expert report on enhancing the role of hospital ward sisters and improving the patient’s experience in hospitals. The group said nutrition should be elevated to the same importance as medication due to its role in patient recovery.

The new resources, the All Wales Food Record chart and a revised Intake and Output fluid balance chart are being introduced to provide clear standards and guidance on nutrition in hospitals. This supports the work of nutritional risk screening, which involves monitoring food and fluid intake and output, protecting mealtimes to maximise the opportunity for nutritional intake and addressing the risk of malnutrition in vulnerable patients. The new tools for staff have been trialed in five NHS Trusts and will now be rolled out across Wales.

Mrs Hart said: “This is a key development in the on-going programme to improve the experience of patients in hospitals, meeting a One Wales commitment to improve hospital food and patient nutrition.” 

Vending in Hospitals

Earlier this year the Minister for Health and Social Services announced that unhealthy vending is to be removed from all NHS hospitals. Directions and Guidance on the new arrangements for health promoting vending have been produced and issued to Chairs of NHS Trusts. The directions and guidance provide clear definitions of what type of food and drink is to be allowed in hospital vending machines and the timetable for implementation.

This action supports the drive to ensure that public sector settings, particularly hospitals, become an exemplar of best practice in food provision. This guidance is a step towards achieving that exemplar status and is the first stage of the work to meet the One Wales commitment to improve hospital food.

The guidance can be found at 
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/publications/health/ministerial/letter01508/;jsessionid=GHQnJccJkmG2gXGTByGJCj9mYy2KxFptlTFx1KtF2rsjBMs6WXTj!-1414164158?lang=en.

Review of the Implementation of the Health Promoting Hospital Vending Guidance

This report details qualitative and quantitative feedback from individual hospital sites about the implementation of the health promoting hospitals vending guidance. The review covered a broad range of hospital sites across the seven Health Boards and includes data from all major hospitals in Wales. Findings are given on implementation, affect on sales, promotional activity and product availability.

Download the report.

Cardiff and Vale NHS trust Success Stories

Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust have successfully worked with the following companies in order to increase their provision of healthy and local food in vending machines and through their foodservice:

• Frobishers who supply a high end range of juices and smoothies
• Authentic Curry Company (01685 810044) who supply chilled and frozen meals in bulk and are developing a range of low fat and salt meals for over the counter sales
• Castell Howell  who supply Welsh yoghurts and are sourcing with UHW procurement dept a small range of healthy option snacks to replace crisp lines on both vending and loose sales along with milk shakes that meet the nutrient profiling
• Wholesnax who supply a range of healthy nuts, fruits, dried fruit mixes and poppy seed in snack bags.
• Paninis (01792 587711) suppliers of a range of healthy sandwiches. 

For more information please contact Denis Lomax on email [email protected].