Expert video series

Meeting the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food & Drink

Published on : 12/11/23
Reading time : 3 min

    • The National Standards video series highlights and explores areas and initiatives of best practice implemented by healthcare organisations on their journey to meeting the standards. Sharing ambitious and innovative solutions will provide insight into how different organisations are improving hospital catering services.

    Sharing best practice 

    The National Healthcare Food & Drink Standards aim to improve the quality, nutritional value and sustainability of hospital catering services. With a total of eight different standards that all NHS organisations are required to meet, these videos highlight and share examples of best practice as Trusts and suppliers explore different, often innovative, solutions to meeting these mandated targets.  

    As recongnised by NHS England, many healthcare organisations already provide high quality food and drink, however with variation across the country it is important that we learn and develop together. Phil Shelley, Chair of the Food Review, highlights ‘the only way we’re going to succeed is that teams work closely together and push each other in a positive way.’   

    These videos will cover a range of food standards’ topics, including:  

    • Managing allergens - getting it right every time
    • The importance of patient experience – the last nine yards 
    • Food waste – helping to reach Net Zero 
    • Leadership – enabling our front-line teams to deliver. 

    Learn more: Discover how Sodexo has maximised the potential of food and drink in a patient’s recovery journey

    The Power of 3 – robust allergen management process and procedure

    When patients are in an environment they don’t control, such as a hospital, they’re putting their faith in patient dining providers to keep them safe. In many cases, food and nutrition is a core part of recovery, and a loss of confidence in food safety can impact clinical resource – with more time spent on catering and less on patient care and treatment.  

    It’s therefore important that the catering team, dietitians and clinical teams work together, as the Power of 3, to ensure food is a core part of a patient’s care plan and there is confidence in the provider’s ability to deliver safe, nutritious choices.  

    Safety was the primary reason for the Hospital Food Review, after seven patients died of listeriosis in 2019, and is a core theme within the National Standards. NHS Trust and FM Providers are required to have robust allergen management policies in place to increase awareness amongst teams and minimise risk.   

    In this video, we discuss the importance of allergen management, training & development and how, by using the principles of the ‘Power of 3’ – we can maximise outcomes while maintaining patient safety.

    Click here to find out more about Sodexo’s allergen management approach. 

     

    The Last Nine Yards - delivering an excellent patient mealtime experience

    Improving patients’ food and drink is a core objective of the new standards, which is made up of several different components. One factor impacting success is the patient experience. Research undertaken by Sodexo highlights how a patient’s perception of experience can impact their rate of recovery. However, it is not a straight-forward task and requires continuous patient feedback, as well as multi-disciplinary input, to recognise and address how environments and services can be improved.    

    In this video, we discuss the ‘last nine yards’ with Sian Langford, Facilities Compliance & Sustainability Manager at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Militsa Pribetich-Gill, Head of Product Innovation at Sodexo Health & Care. Using both organisations’ experience, we explore the patient journey initiatives implemented and the outcomes achieved.  

    Click here to discover the solutions impacting the nutrition and hydration experience. 

     

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