Revamped menus in store for patients

Patients, visitors and staff have been asked to give their views on the new summer menu for inpatients at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

The catering team at the Royal Surrey have held two tasting sessions of the newly re-vamped summer menu and received feedback from more than 200 patients, visitors and staff.

The new food on offer includes cous cous and chargrilled vegetables, mushroom lasagne, chicken and mushroom pot pie, Moroccan coconut soup and fresh fruit salad. 

The new menu is the result of a considerable amount of work by the hospital to respond to feedback about the quality of patient food.  In addition to the new menu, the patient snack boxes have been changed to include a wider range of sandwich fillings and salads.  It is also hoped that patients will be able to request a hot snack box, which will be available between the hot meal service times. 

Director of Nursing and Operations and Deputy Chief Executive Sue Lewis said:

“We get a huge amount of feedback and comments about the quality of our food and it is clearly an issue that it is very important to our patients. 

“As a result we have dedicated a great deal of time to developing summer and winter menus that meet the needs of all our patients and that offer a wide choice.  The tasting sessions have been a great success and we have had a great deal of positive feedback on the new food on offer. 

“We will continue to ask for patients’ view on the quality and choice food to ensure that we make further improvements and changes.”

Ensuring that patients’ nutritional and feeding needs are met is also a priority for the Trust and the Nutrition Action Group now meets weekly. 

In accordance with Age Concern’s recommendation, patients that require assistance with feeding now have their meals served on red trays, indicating to staff that the tray is not to be removed until the patient has been assisted to finish their meal.  The menus also indicate where assistance is required with eating.