The catering team at the Royal Brompton Hospital has reviewed patient meal services based on patient feedback and worked with the dietetic team to introduce a range of initiatives aimed at improving the patient experience whilst ensuring dietary needs are met. Initiatives that have been introduced have also improved the sustainability credentials of the patient meal service, including reducing single-use plastics by 70%.
The catering service is a cook-fresh system, with more than 80% of the patient food for NHS and private patients being prepared on-site by trained chefs, including special diets.
As a specialist heart and lung centre, the hospital requires multiple low-fat diets for Chylothorax and Plastic Bronchitis patients. Following feedback and working with the mother of a patient who required a low-fat diet, the catering team introduced its first ever air fryer to improve the low-fat menu with better quality chips and breaded meat/fish to prevent malnutrition. Moreover, the fish fingers and chicken nuggets have been changed from frozen to freshly made in house.
A new seasonal menu for spring/summer and autumn/winter improves the variety and diversity of options for patients. This includes the introduction of daily fruit-based desserts on patient menus. Recognising the growth in veganism across the UK, a new vegan menu has been developed to improve the options for patients. During Black History Month, the catering team created an African themed menu, and all dressed up to serve patients their meals, which received very good feedback from patients and staff.
For Paediatric patients, the introduction of daily Bento Boxes has encouraged patients to eat more fresh raw vegetables as it was noticed that the children were not choosing salads.
All tea trolleys on the wards are being overhauled to serve hot drinks in china mugs to enhance the experience and encourage them to drink more and stay hydrated. Working with the dietetic team, celebration days are being observed, including Muffin & Milkshake rounds for Dietitian’s Week and free fruit to aid hydration for Freaky Fruity Friday.
An electronic patient meal ordering system has improved efficiency, with chefs receiving patient meal numbers earlier. As meals are freshly-cooked on the day, this has helped to reduce wastage. Single-use plastic and disposables have been reduced by 70% by switching to wooden cutlery, sourcing new drinking glasses to replace plastic juice cuplets and eliminating use of polystyrene takeaway boxes. The team stocks a small amount of plastic straws for patients with a clinical need for these items.
Feedback from the patient experience team revealed a demand for an improvement in organic produce and meal quality versus quantity. It has reduced red meat by 30% across all patient menus, and all meat has been changed to ‘Farm-assured Red Tractor’. More than 5% of produce purchased now is organic.
Although this programme of work has focused on patient meals, during lockdown the catering team also provided daily free meals to all Trust staff to support the clinical teams working on the wards.
Outcomes
Feedback from patients speaks for itself:
“The food is five-star. Your clear commitment to quality is very much appreciated.”
“The food is amazing. So delicious. Lots of choice. Staff wonderful, kind and helpful.”
“Good, varied menu – caters for most tastes.”
The catering team was shortlisted for one of HEFMA's 2022 awards.
