The Hospital Food Standards Panel, led by Dianne Jeffrey, Chairman of Age UK, has published its report to the government today and recommends five legally-binding food standards for the NHS.
These will now be included in the NHS Standard Contract – making them legally-binding for hospitals.
Hunt said: “We are making the NHS more transparent, giving patients the power to compare food on wards and incentivising hospitals to raise their game.
“Many hospitals are already offering excellent food to their patients and staff. But we want to know that all patients have nourishing and appetising food to help them get well faster and stay healthy, which is why we’re introducing tough new mandatory standards for the first time ever.
“In addition to the panel’s compulsory standards, it has also recommended all hospitals develop a food and drink policy that aims to encourage healthy eating, high-quality food production, sustainability and excellent nutritional care.
“Complementing the new standards, hospitals will, for the first time, be ranked on the NHS Choices website for the quality of their food.”
The latest patient inspections data has been published on NHS Choices and shows how each hospital performs on:
* quality of food
* choice of food
* menu approved by a dietitian
* fresh fruit always available
* food available between meals
* choice at breakfast
* cost of food services per patient per day
Hospitals that do not follow the guidance recommended by the panel would be in breach of their commissioning contract (usually held with a clinical commissioning group), and commissioners will be able to take contractual action against them.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will use a range of information, including the patient inspection data, to spot potential problems with food and to determine which hospitals need closer inspection of their food practices.
Professor Edward Baker, Deputy Chief Inspector of Hospitals at the CQC, said: “It’s really important for patients to have access to good quality food based on their own needs. During our inspections, we speak to patients and check records to ensure patients are receiving the right food for their individual needs.
“Our findings determine which hospitals need closer inspection of their food practices.”