Hospital food at North Tyneside General Hospital

Healthwatch North Tyneside carried out an Enter and View review of hospital food at North Tyneside General Hospital to understand patients’ experiences of food, nutrition and mealtime support, particularly for people with additional needs. The review involved visits to hospital catering services and two wards, interviews with patients, staff and a visitor, and feedback gathered from the wider public. 

The review found that the hospital’s food service was generally well organised, safe and efficient. Meals were ordered in advance, there was a range of menu options available, and special dietary requirements such as halal, kosher, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free diets could be accommodated. Protected mealtimes and dedicated Nutrition Assistants helped ensure patients received support when eating and drinking. 

Most patients were positive about the menu, food quality and portion sizes. Many described the food as tasty, well presented and served at an appropriate temperature. Volunteers observed that food appeared appetising and that food waste was low, suggesting that patients were generally satisfied with their meals.

However, some concerns were identified. A minority of patients felt there was insufficient variety, particularly at breakfast, while some members of the public reported inconsistent food quality between wards and at weekends. There was also feedback that some dietary needs and intolerances had not always been identified or met appropriately. 

Support at mealtimes was generally seen as good, with staff and Nutrition Assistants helping patients who needed assistance. Nevertheless, feedback from some people with visual impairments suggested that support was not always proactively offered and that patients sometimes had to ask for help with reading menus or preparing food. 

The review highlighted concerns about the long gap between the evening meal and breakfast. Although snacks and drinks were available during the day, patients and members of the public felt that additional food provision in the evening would benefit some groups, particularly people with diabetes. Weekend services were also viewed less favourably because Nutrition Assistants were not routinely available and snack provision was more limited.

Overall, Healthwatch concluded that patients’ experiences of hospital food were largely positive and that staff worked hard to provide good nutritional care. However, it recommended improving access to evening snacks, providing more weekend mealtime support, ensuring consistent nutritional screening for all patients, introducing picture menus, and using clearer visual cues to identify patients who need assistance at mealtimes. 

In a follow-up update published in January 2017, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust reported that action had been taken on all five recommendations. Evening snack boxes were available, additional staff hours were provided at weekends, nutritional screening using the MUST tool was carried out for all admissions, picture menus were available and being updated, and visual indicators and adapted equipment were being used to help identify and support patients who required assistance with eating.