Nine million hospital meals go uneaten, finds survey

Figures also suggest that across 200 NHS Hospital and Mental Health Trusts, almost 8% of all hospital meals go uneaten - wasting more than £26 million. Seven hospital Trusts reported a worrying 20% or more of all meals served to patients remain untouched, with Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust topping the board with 29% waste. The data also reveals a huge difference when it comes to NHS catering spending. Top of the spenders is Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership, with an average outlay of £19 per patient per day, in contrast to organisations such as Rotherham NHS foundation Trust, which spends just £2.93 per patient per day. Overall, five Trusts were found to be spending more than £15 per day. In addition to topping the charts in the waste category, Ipswich Hospital Trust is also one of the organisations with the highest catering spend per patient per day at £17.20 but with the high percentage of meals sent back untouched this is costing them around £1m per year. Judy Aldred, managing director of SSentif: "Despite spending millions of pounds on catering every year, the NHS has been subjected to criticism about poor quality food and patient malnutrition. Trusts have responsibility for their own catering budgets and with no minimum standard set by Government, the result seems to be huge discrepancies between organisations. "Food waste in the NHS is also a big concern, as although some waste is inevitable in any catering environment, untouched meals in a healthcare situation have more worrying implications for patient health and nourishment. "The fact that Trusts spending a generous amount on hospital meals still report high percentages of meals being returned untouched, would seem to suggest that the issue is less one of food quality is more closely linked to protected patient mealtimes - either they aren't working or hospitals are failing to enforce them."