Enter and view: Kingston Hospital Food and Hydration

Healthwatch Kingston undertook an Enter and View visit to Kingston Hospital adult inpatient wards, emergency departments and public food outlets in March 2024. They spoke to patients, family members and staff across Hamble, Hardy, Isabella and Kennet wards, as well as reviewing food and drink provision in outpatient areas, the restaurant, Costa and emergency care settings.

The visit found that patients were generally positive about the quality and variety of food available and highly complimentary about staff support during mealtimes. Patients frequently described staff as caring, attentive and willing to go above and beyond to ensure food and drinks were available when needed. Most patients felt food arrived promptly, portion sizes were appropriate and they could access snacks and drinks outside standard mealtimes. However, patients with special dietary requirements reported limited menu variety and occasional problems receiving suitable alternatives when chosen meals were unavailable.

Several areas for improvement were identified. Communication about food choices and availability was inconsistent, with some patients unaware of menu options, ward fridges or food outlets elsewhere in the hospital. Staff reported difficulties supporting multiple patients who required assistance to eat, particularly on wards with high numbers of red tray patients. Concerns were also raised about limited food options in emergency departments, inadequate support for special diets, inconsistent drinks trolley provision and confusion surrounding opening times and locations of food outlets across the hospital.

Healthwatch Kingston recommended increasing the variety of special menus, improving communication between ward and catering teams, recruiting additional volunteers to support mealtimes, improving accessible menu formats, strengthening signage and information about food availability, enhancing food provision in emergency departments and extending restaurant opening hours beyond 3pm. The report concluded that patients were generally satisfied with food and hydration services, but that better communication, greater menu flexibility and additional support during mealtimes would further improve patient experience.