TV's Loyd Grossman's hospital food taste test

Food critic and TV presenter Loyd Grossman will visit the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital this week to sample high-quality hospital food as part of a national drive to promote better food in hospitals under the Government’s Better Hospital Food initiative.

Surveys of in-patients at the new hospital at Colney have shown consistently high patient satisfaction with the hospital food. The latest available survey carried out in September 2002, shows:

• 77 per cent of in-patients thought the quality of the meals was very good to excellent (Only 2.3 per cent rated the food not very good)
• 90 per cent of patients felt there was usually or always a good choice of meals on the menu
• 75 per cent of patients felt they were served the right amount of food
• 99 per cent of patients said the food they ordered was served at the right temperature

The visit to the Norwich hospital has been organised by the Department of Health, who set national standards for catering services across the NHS. Iqbal Waahab, owner of London’s Cinnamon Club and a member of the Better Hospital Food panel will also be visiting NNUH with Loyd Grossman.

The Better Hospital Food programme was launched in May 2001 and set out a range of minimum standards for all hospitals in England – these included:

• the availability of food and drinks 24 hours a day
• the use of dishes specially designed by leading chefs to help put the freshness back into hospital food
• to ensure patients can choose to have their main meal of the day in the evening
• introduce new snacks each day to ensure patients do not get hungry in-between main meal-times
• to provide patients with bedside menus that are clear and easy to understand so they know what’s available and how to order food and meals

Hospital director of resources Anna Dugdale: “We’re delighted Loyd Grossman is coming to see our excellent catering operation. The most pleasing thing is that since the hospital opened the patients have overwhelmingly given our hospital food the seal of approval”.

Loyd Grossman has been appointed by Secretary of Health Alan Milburn to act as an advisor to the NHS on improving hospital food services. Mr Grossman is also Chair of the Better Hospital Food Panel. The Better Hospital Food programme is being supported with £40 million of new funding.