Hospital food is no joke at West Suffolk

A hospital may not be your first choice for dining out, but West Suffolk is the first winner of a gold St Edmundsbury ‘Eat Out, Eat Well’ accolade.

The borough council made the award to the hospital’s catering staff for the food available from its Time Out staff restaurant and public Courtyard Cafe.

It comes after environmental health officers visited the hospital twice to carry out rigorous assessments of the choices diners are offered, ways in which food is cooked and how healthier options are promoted.

Brodrick Pooley, the hospital’s catering manager, said: “We pride ourselves on the quality of food we offer at West Suffolk Hospital, and regularly receive excellent feedback from our patients and visitors.

“We are delighted to become the first organisation in the borough to not only receive this award but also achieve the highest possible accolade with a gold.“

“It also reflects well on the service we provide to them, as we serve the same meals to our staff and visitors as we do to patients on the wards.”

Before Christmas, the hospital was re-awarded an international accreditation for the high standards of hygiene, production, safety and service it provides.

In addition, the most recent NHS staff survey shows more staff at West Suffolk would recommend their hospital as a place to work and receive treatment than at any other acute hospital in East Anglia. West Suffolk was in the top 20 per cent of trusts nationally in the seven categories surveyed.