Hospital caterers urged to 'be excellent'

It aims to use the day to highlight how improvements in service can enhance patient mealtimes and, in turn, wellbeing and recovery. Neil Watson-Jones, new chairman of the HCA says: "Improving standards is far more than just about the quality of the food on the plate, it is about enhancing a patient's whole mealtime experience. "Good quality food is no good to anyone unless it actually gets into the mouths and stomachs of patients and that requires greater communication and collaboration between the dietetic, clinical and catering teams. "No matter how much effort is put into improving hospital cuisine, the nutritional value of an uneaten meal will always be zero. This is why we're launching our nationwide campaign on July 5 to encourage caterers to look at their current service and see if they can go that extra mile to enhance patient mealtimes that bit further. Just small touches can make a big difference to patients' lives." Hospital caterers throughout the UK are being encouraged to register and participate in the HCA National Day and initiate tangible, measurable changes in the standard of food service on hospital wards across the UK that will alter patients' attitude to hospital food and improveme their nutritional status. Hospital caterers are required to commit to at least one action or to provide details of local initiatives they plan to launch on the HCA National Service Excellence Day. The aim is for these new actions to become a standard and ongoing part of the range of services they provide to patients in the future. The key focus will be on making real change, offering patients a level of service that is not currently routinely delivered and ensuring that that standard is sustained on an ongoing basis beyond 5 July 2007. To help caterers participate in the campaign, the HCA is providing a checklist of options that caterers can implement, including Working Together; Providing Access to Food and Beverages; Excellence in Food and Beverage Service; Responsibilities in Service Delivery and Finishing Touches. Register at www.hospitalcaterers.org