BETTER food is being promised at Herefordshire's hospitals after their offerings were given a damning rating in a national survey.

The recently published National Inpatient Survey 2023 results reveal that while patients gave the choice of food served up on Herefordshire's inpatient wards 7.9 out of 10, which is about the same as in other trusts, many were not happy with what they were served. 

The survey said that patients rated the quality of food served up at Wye Valley NHS Trust's hospitals at just 5.8 out of 10, which was rated as "much worse than expected" when compared with other trusts.

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And now action has been promised, with WVT board minutes from September acknowledging that the food provision rating had deteriorated this year and that it "is an area that has been historically poor".

A quality report presented to the board by chief nursing officer Lucy Flanagan and chief medical officer Chizo Agwu, said the issues were around the food and how it is delivered.

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"We were aware that this issue was coming up in the survey and so held a summit with our clinical and Sodexo colleagues to agree how we could work better to improve both these areas," the minutes said.

A short-term task and finish group has been set up to focus on the issue, the minutes said, with the company responsible for food provision, Sodexo, already working on revised menus.

Chairman Russell Hardy added that the trust has a private finance initiative (PFI) arrangement for hospital food provided by a third-party company, which is an expensive option, and that the trust is working with Sodexo to get the level of service the public hopes for.