Great British Bake Off judge praises Suffolk hospital
Food at West Suffolk Hospital has been highlighted in a national report led by Prue Leith.
Last updated 2nd Nov 2020
Working with NHS leaders, the celebrity chef has been identifying the best catering at hospitals and how to improve them in the future.
According to the report the hospital in Bury St Edmunds is one of their top picks, named as one of two dozen best practice sites nationally.
Patients, staff, and visitors are all served the same food across West Suffolk Hospital.
The report also praises the arrangements for overnight staff, who have access to hot meals via vending machines and microwave, and the use of volunteers to help patients.
Catering manager Vanessa Theobald said: "Our volunteers help with various aspects of patients’ needs, which includes feeding patients and helping them to fill out their menus.
"They are a very valuable aid to making sure that the patients who need assistance get the help they are looking for."
The catering team has also introduced an 'afternoon tea' service as a special culinary treat for inpatients.
Vanessa continued: "We are very proud of our afternoon teas, and over the summer we offered this service with a twist by introducing a picnic option so people could meet up outside whilst observing social distancing."
A number of recommendations around the quality and availability of food was made in the report.
It also stated that catering services should be a priority for hospital building schemes, including the planned reconstruction of West Suffolk Hospital, which funding was confirmed for this month.