Revisiting the fundamentals of hospital catering—simplicity, consistency, and quality—may hold the key to more effective and sustainable food service in the NHS. By narrowing choices and focusing on well-prepared meals that meet clinical and dietary needs, we can better support catering teams, reduce waste, and ultimately improve the patient experience.
Is Too Much Choice Making NHS Catering Unmanageable?
Mark Edell
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In an effort to improve patient satisfaction, NHS catering has evolved to offer an ever-expanding array of meal choices. While well intentioned, this abundance of options may be contributing to inefficiencies, increased waste, and compromised food quality. Could it be that, in aiming to please everyone, we've made the system unmanageable for those delivering it?
Have we, in trying to provide more choice for patients, made NHS catering unnecessarily complex? When you fly on a plane, you’re given a simple choice: meat or vegetarian. No one complains, and the food arrives quickly and reliably.
On a recent trip, I experienced a similar model: two simple choices—meat or vegetables—prepared well and enjoyed by everyone. The chef’s focus wasn’t split across dozens of dishes but instead dedicated to producing high-quality meals efficiently.
Contrast that with NHS catering, where extensive menus offer ten different options and twenty variations per meal. This approach places an unrealistic burden on kitchen teams and can lead to inconsistent quality, increased food waste, and challenges with procurement.
In our experience in Saudi Arabia, hospitals operated on a simplified menu model—one menu with dietetic considerations but no overwhelming personal preference selections. Meals were freshly prepared in a 3,000-bedded hospital, and patient satisfaction remained high.
Does providing too much choice ultimately burden NHS catering with unrealistic expectations, leaving only cook-freeze or bought-in products as viable options? Could a simpler, more focused approach improve food quality, reduce waste, and streamline operations?
