Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital’s food is voted best in the country
Hospital food has been the butt of jokes for decades but one Shropshire hospital has proved the comedians wrong.
Oswestry's Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has been named best in the country for the food it serves on its wards for the third year running.
It also came joint second in overall patient experience.
Patients selected to take part in the Care Quality Commission’s Adult Inpatient Survey were asked more than 70 questions on all aspects of their care.
The survey included the question: ‘How would you rate the hospital food?’, with respondents asked to give a mark out of 10.
The orthopaedic came out on top, with an average score of 8.02 – comfortably ahead of the other 148 trusts in the survey – and an improvement on last year’s winning score of 7.6.
When patients were asked were they offered a choice of food the hospital scored even more impressively. Its average score of 9.66 was again the highest in the country.
Phil Davies, head of estates and facilities said: “High quality, nutritious food is absolutely vital for patients during their time in hospital, and we work hard to ensure that is exactly what they get.
"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.
“This is the third year running that our food has been voted the best in the country by our patients, and for that we’re extremely proud, especially as we’ve seen an improvement in our scores. Our aim this year was to score at least an 8 out of 10 – and we’ve just passed that, which we’re delighted about.
“It’s a real team effort from all of the catering staff – 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 our dietician.”
The Trust has come out top for the quality of its food for 12 out of the last 13 years and scored well throughout the survey.
It received high scores in most sections of the Adult Inpatient Survey 2017, being ranked second place for patients’ confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses treating them, as well as cleanliness scoring well – with the hospital’s wards and rooms being rated as second cleanest in the country.
Overall patient experience saw the hospital come joint second – with a score of 9.1.
