Patients rate RJAH hospital food best in country

The Catering team at Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital are celebrating after the food they produce and serve has once again been highlighted in a national patient survey as the best in the country – for the 14th time in 15 years.

A total of 1,245 patients who stayed at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) for at least one night between August 2019 and January 2020 were asked to take part in the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Adult Inpatient Survey and 882 patients completed it.

The survey, which includes 144 NHS acute trusts in the country, reveals what nearly 77,000 patients said about the care they received during their time in hospital – months before Covid-19 gripped the country.

The survey asked ‘how would you rate the hospital food’ with respondents asked to give a mark out of 10 and RJAH came out on top with an average score of 7.9.

Patients were also asked ‘how good was the choice of food’ – scoring an even better result of 9.6 out of 10.

Dan Hoggett, Catering Manager, said: “High quality, nutritious but also tasty food is crucial for patients during their time in hospital, and we work hard to ensure that is exactly what they get.

“As a team, we are extremely proud of the food we produce, and it’s extremely rewarding that our patients are pleased with the food they’re provided with.

“Getting it right for our patients is a real team effort – we contact patients ahead of them coming into hospital to check their dietary requirements and do everything we can to give them what they want and need.

“We use high quality, local and seasonal ingredients where possible, and our menus are agreed in association with the Trust’s Dietician.”

Phil Davies, Head of Estates and Facilities, said: “This is the fifth consecutive year that our food has been voted best in the country by our patients, and we couldn’t be more delighted.

“This result is a true testament to our fantastic team here, who work extremely hard to ensure the food they produce and serve is of the highest quality, as well as tasty and nutritious. I am immensely proud of them all.”

Overall patient experience at RJAH was rated as best in the country in the same survey, and once again, the Trust was named as one of just nine NHS organisations placed in the top band of Trusts delivering results that are considered “much better than expected” and also “much better” in both medical care and surgery.

Other stand-out results included the Trust’s doctors being rated as the best in the country and its nurses came out on top for inspiring confidence and trust. Other clinical staff (including physiotherapists and radiographers) were also rated No 1, while even non-clinical staff came out on top for the way they look after patients.