Our New Year Resolution Is To Support Patients And Staff In Healthy Eating

Our New Year Resolution Is To Support Patients And Staff In Healthy Eating

1st Jan 2017

From 1 January Alder Hey will remove drinks with added sugar, chocolate bars and crisps from NHS-run catering outlets at Alder Hey in the Park*. They will be replaced with alternative options containing less sugar and fat.

This aims to build on progress the Trust has made since moving into the new ‘hospital in a park’ in updating the catering menus to make more fresh food and heathy options available to staff and families.

On the wards, Alder Hey is leading the way as the only NHS hospital to have ward-based chefs and a kitchen on each ward, from which patients are provided with freshly prepared meals from a carefully designed menu.

In the public areas, the hospital already has a delicatessen making fresh sandwiches and salads to order, a daily vegetarian option and a fruit and vegetable stall. To support busy staff, parents and local residents there is also a fruit and veg stall at the Accident and & Emergency entrance to the hospital each day, so that people can more easily buy fresh produce on a daily basis for their meals at home.

Executive Chef, Simon Warren said: “There are many factors that contribute to poor health and we know that food is one of them. Over the last year we have tried to improve availability of fresh options at a sustainable price. It has gone down well so we are introducing new options regularly to see what people think.

Providing more nutritious options in place of crisps, chocolate and added-sugar drinks from our restaurant strongly signals our commitment. We feel strongly that we should actively support our staff and families to eat well by expanding the choices available.”

* Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust does not run the commercial food outlets in the hospital, and will continue encouraging these franchises to stock fresh or lower fat/sugar/salt options options.