Caterers and clinicians at the Royal United Hospital in Bath are working together to make the hospital a national leader in applying contemporary evidence to nutritional development.
This unique collaboration aims to apply the expert knowledge of the clinicians and consultants with expertise in health and diet to further improve the food and drink offering at the Trust.
The Trust has already been granted a Gold ‘Eat Out, Eat Well’ Award from BaNES Council for providing high quality, healthy choices for patients, staff and visitors eating in the Lansdown Restaurant and the Atrium Cafe?.
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Dr Ali Khavandi has been heavily involved in the pioneering project and is keen to ensure the links between diet and heart health are well-established.
Dr Ali Khavandi said: “Working alongside Hotel Services Manager Mike Newport and his team has been a really positive experience – they’ve been amazing.
“This collaboration between clinicians and the catering team is unique; in many institutions there would be resistance. But joining forces for the benefit of the health of our patients, staff and visitors makes a great deal of sense.
“There is just too much misinformation regarding diet and health in the public arena.
“It’s time that we, as clinical specialists, draw on our expert knowledge to provide clear advice and support to enable patients, visitors and staff to make heart-healthy choices.”
Mike Newport, Head of Hotel Services at the RUH said: “It’s great to have our clinical colleagues on board. They can provide us with a sound evidence-base on which to build as we make healthy changes to our menus.”
The project is just one area of work going on to improve nutrition and hydration at the Trust.
To coincide with National Nutrition and Hydration Week (16th-22nd March) the RUH is also participating in the ‘Global Tea Party’ – taking a selection of cakes and fresh fruit salad to patients on the wards on Thursday 19th March.
The Trust’s catering department prepares 1,700 meals each day for the hospital’s inpatients and also runs the hospital’s award winning public restaurants, which provide high quality, healthy choices for patients, staff and visitors.
