Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken in response to the Independent Hospital Food Review, published in October 2020, to enable easier access by NHS staff to more nutritious food.

A three-year plan ‘Great Food, Good Health’, led by NHS England and NHS Improvement, is implementing the remaining recommendations from the Hospital Food Review. NHS England and NHS Improvement have established an expert group of clinicians, dieticians and caterers and revised NHS Food and Drink Standards have been developed. The Standards will reflect that there should be an improved consistency of healthy and nutritious, hot and cold food and drink, 24 hours a day in healthcare sites and how this could be provided.

The Health and Care Bill includes a clause which permits the adoption of secondary legislation to implement national standards for food and drink in National Health Service hospitals.