Age Concern launch hospital mealtime campaign

Date published: 02/10/2006

A national report into nutrition and older patients has praised the work of ward staff and catering teams at Rochdale Infirmary. 

Older people’s charity Age Concern has launched a new campaign – "Hungry To Be Heard’ – that focuses on the needs of older patients in relation to nutrition in hospitals.

The campaign has highlighted a "protected mealtimes’ scheme at the Infirmary as an example of the approach which should be taken to ensure patients are given healthy and nutritious food, and have the time to eat it.

The protected mealtimes scheme makes sure patients have time to eat their food without interruption from hospital staff or visitors.

Pam Stansfield, head of catering for Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the Infirmary, said: "We’re really pleased to see Age Concern give their support to our work. Protected mealtimes are a really positive initiative, but they need a lot of commitment from a wide range of staff.

"It’s not just about catering teams; it involves getting agreement to reschedule planned visits to wards, for example doctors to plan their ward rounds outside of mealtimes. Naturally, everyone’s got a reason to visit, and important ones at that, but giving patients a bit of time to enjoy their meals in peace really makes a difference.

"The feedback we had was really positive, from patients and staff alike and thousands of patients are getting the benefit each and every day.

"There are a lot of jokes about hospital food, but our staff work very hard to ensure that patients can access a range of meals, to suit their needs. It’s been a real team effort and it’s fantastic to see that work recognised nationally."

While protected mealtimes have been introduced in many wards, they are not necessarily suitable for all. Patients on wards such as those used for day case surgery or the medical admissions unit don’t tend to stay on the ward long enough for protected mealtimes to be suitable.