1. Developing a Food and Drink Strategy Clare Shaw 1, Gareth Ferguson 2, Susannah McWilliam 3, Gary Burkill 4 1 Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2 Catering Department, 3 Soil Association Food for Life, 4 Facilities Department 1,2,4 The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London and Surrey, 3 The Soil Association, Bristol Introduction The Royal Marsden was the first hospital in the world dedicated to cancer and along with its academic partner the Institute of Cancer Research it is the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. The Hospital Food Standards Panel report recommends that all NHS Trust develop a food and drink strategy that will have a positive impact on patients, staff, visitors and the wider economy (Department of Health, 2014) and is supported by the 2016/17 national CQUIN for NHS staff health and well being. All NHS employers should take significant additional actions in 2015/16 to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of their staff. This mandate was laid out in The Forward View into Action, NHS England, 2014 (NHS England, 2014). Background The Royal Marsden, with the support of Food for Life, aimed to develop a Food and Drink Strategy to meet the needs of people with cancer, visitors and staff. A diagnosis of cancer can increase the risk of difficulties with eating including loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and weight loss putting people at risk of malnutrition. Staff with high levels of health and wellbeing are more likely to deliver good patient care. The strategy aimed to address the three key areas  The nutrition and hydration needs of patients, including food quality  Healthier eating for the whole hospital community, especially staff  Sustainable procurement of food and catering services Methods Preliminary meetings enabled planning of a workshop to facilitate discussion about food and drink in the Trust. The workshop was attended by Patients, Dietetics, Catering, Nursing, Medical staff, Occupational Health, Procurement, Human Resources and Quality Assurance. The workshop allowed facilitated discussion using patient case studies and staff scenarios. These enabled the participants to discuss what was done well and areas for improvement or change which were developed into an action plan. The following areas were discussed  Leadership for health promoting hospital  Catering Quality  Food retail and vending  Patient food experience  Staff health and well being  Community and partnerships Results There was recognition of the contribution that food makes to recovery, the experience of people in hospital, staff health and well being and sustainability. Many areas of good practice were identified by the participants of the workshop. Some examples are listed below Discussion The Food and Drink Strategy offers an opportunity to engage a senior multi-disciplinary team and engage board members by setting the course towards becoming a truly health-promoting hospital. The Food and Drink Strategy is to be formally launched in Dietitians Week from 6 th – 10 th June 2016 with a week long event aimed to engage patients, visitors and staff in the importance of good, healthy food and nutrition. Department of Health. (2014). "The Hospital Food Standards Panel’s report on standards for food and drink in NHS hospitals." Retrieved 26.4.16, from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file504866/Hospital_Food_Panel_Report.pdf NHS England. (2014). "The Forward View into Action: Planning for 2015/16 " Retrieved 26.4.16, from https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/forward-view-plning.pdf What is done well at The Royal Marsden?  Dietetics and catering work together closely at senior strategic level  Good range of patient menu choices  Good patient feedback on catering provision  Good variety of food choices during the day  Procuring locally – 10% of food is locally supplied  Support from Friends of Royal Marsden Action plan  Ensure the ward is prepared for mealtimes  Increase choice of food available for staff outside daytime working hours  More prominent positioning of healthy options in outlets and vending  Develop the out of hours food service for staff  Develop a Farmers Market on Trust grounds