Sowing the seeds

Putting healthy eating at the heart of the NHS

Hard working NHS staff deserve to have ready access to healthy, tasty meals, and from the outset we have worked with hospitals across the country to help them to gain the healthyliving award in staff and visitor restaurants.

Last summer Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health, directed that all hospitals with catering for staff and/or visitors should register for and work towards achieving the healthyliving award.

One health board that has taken a very consistent approach to putting the award in place is NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. They set up a working group of catering managers who meet regularly to share their experience, work with suppliers and organise training sessions for their staff.

At the Western Infirmary in Glasgow, Catering Manager John Donaldson faced a particular challenge as the hospital is close to busy Byres Road with its huge variety of food outlets. He had to pay particular attention to the way food was presented and highlighted, in order to make it attractive to customers.

John explained: “The healthier options are always at the forefront, and we work hard to continuously make changes and keep things up to date to retain customers’ interest.”

“We display a fruit bar every day and that is the first thing people see. We’ve also introduced a make-your-own sandwich bar where customers can choose from a wide range of breads and healthier fillings. That way we can offer much more variety.”

John Wright, Retail Project Manager, oversees the new Aroma Coffee Bar at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, which is the first café in Scotland that is wholly owned and run by the NHS.

John told us, “We have come up with new healthier recipes, for example our popular clootie scones, made with mixed fruit and spices.”

“We are phasing out fizzy drinks and introducing more fresh juices, water and smoothies, and when it comes to hot food we are adapting recipes and have started making our own fresh sauces.”

“We have new signage in place letting people know about the healthyliving award, and descriptive notes at the point of sale, for example explaining what the clootie scone is and why it’s healthier.”

Hospital caterers all across the country have been working hard to implement the award criteria, and many have already been successful in gaining the award. We hope it won’t be long before every hospital dining room in the country is proudly displaying the healthyliving award certificate.

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issue ten:
May 2009
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The healthyliving awardNHS Health Scotland - Scotland's health improvement agencyHealthier Scotland - Scottish GovernmentHealthier Scotland - Scottish Government