Hospital catering services across Wales are inconsistent and having an adverse effect on patient care, according to a new Welsh Assembly report.
A policy drawn-up to ensure patients have enough time to eat their meals uninterrupted is having an adverse effect on their well-being, The National Assembly for Wales’ Public Accounts Committee has been told.
The “protected mealtimes policy”, is being applied inconsistently and the committee heard that in some cases, relatives and carers of vulnerable and elderly patients were not allowed to help them during meal times.
Darren Millar AM, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “Our report highlights disturbing evidence of a policy designed to improve patient care actually having the opposite effect because of poor communication and interpretation.
“Where the policy is being correctly implemented, the Committee was pleased to see positive results and we urge the Welsh Government to issue further guidance to ensure consistently high standards of service across all Welsh hospitals.
“We also recommend that every patient is advised of what standards of catering service they should expect at the point of admission and that food hygiene ratings should be prominently displayed in all hospitals.”
The Committee has recommended the Welsh Government to issue guidance to all NHS bodies in Wales stating the protected meal times policy should not be used to exclude relatives and carers from providing assistance with eating to patients.
Other recommendations include telling patients what they can expect when it comes to hospital food, ensuring waste targets are met and that hospital food is sourced locally.