The announcement, which was made during Nutrition & Hydration Week (13-20th March), aims to help boost staff morale, improve their wellbeing and enhance the quality of patient care.
An array of food and drink will be available providing on demand, fresh smoothies and soups, a healthy hot meal range including curries, paella, jerk chicken, stews, alongside Italian stone baked pizzas, sweet and savoury bakery goods and ice desserts.
Sodexo Health & Care provides some 5.2 million meals a year across 53 hospitals. Dishes include allergen-free, healthy choices, vegetarian and vegan options and can be tailored to suit the site population and particular dietary requirements.
Simon Lilley, director of strategy & marketing of health & care at Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “We were honoured to have been part of the working group which developed the new National Healthcare Food & Drink Standards and although the focus is rightly on improving the wellbeing and recovery of patients it is just as important to do the same for those caring for them.
“As NHS providers work towards achieving the final eight standards, as a strategic partner to many we know how important it is for us to continue to innovate and to provide new and exciting initiatives such as the 24/7 Deli.
“Nutrition is a key part of our expertise, and this new automated retail solution will ensure we can play our part every day, by serving a selection of hot and cold food around the clock for frontline teams, visitors and patients. The first 24/7 Deli is expected to go live in a major acute hospital in the coming month.”
The hot drinks system offered has been developed in partnership with Change Please, a social enterprise which invests all its profits to provide homeless people with housing, training and a living wage.
Walter Gill, co-founder of SV 365 Technologies, added: “We are thrilled to introduce our latest product, the 24/7 Deli, our first to be rolled out in the healthcare sector in 2023. Over the years we have scoured the world finding the newest, most exciting technologies to deliver the best quality automated food solutions for our partners.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that it is the market leader in automated retail technology, providing customers with a convenient and accessible way to purchase fresh food & drinks. The 24/7 Deli provides nutritionally balanced food choices which meet or exceed NHS nutritional standards whilst tasting great."