Sir Edward Garnier, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, met Mr Andy Jones, the Chairman of Hospital Caterers Association on Friday 18 October in Market Harborough.
The Hospital Caterers Association was founded in 1948 and celebrated its 65th birthday this year. Mr Andy Jones met Sir Edward to talk about the promotion, development and improvement of the standards of catering in hospitals and healthcare establishments throughout Britain.
Sir Edward commented: “Good and nutritious food is an integral part of patients’ recovery, giving them the nourishment they need to help with the speediest possible recovery from surgery or illness. The recently released Francis report suggests that nutrition and hydration are basic but vital requirements for a patient’s recovery. The Hospital Caterers Association does a good job in working with the Royal College of Nursing, National Association of Care Caterers and the British Dietetic Association both to help hospitals achieve Government aims and to lobby the Government to improve regulatory guidance to do with patient nutrition. One of the things they have been concentrating on is ensuring that meals are served at times patients want rather than when it suits the administration of the hospital and that when food is brought to the ward it is then served whilst still hot. If you want to waste food and allow patients to go hungry, leave the food unserved until it gets cold and then see it left untouched by the patients. Good, wholesome food is often as important as medicine in curing the sick so ensuring that meal times are protected should be second nature to ward staff and administrators. I found the meeting extremely useful and commend the Association for their work.”