NHS hospital food spending ‘varies by region’

The Department of Health has highlighted the need for further research to explain variations in the amount of NHS money spent on hospital food.

Government figures have shown that the NHS is currently spending more on food than ever before, with the average amount spent per patient rising by ten percent in two years to 8.77 pounds.

However, this varies greatly by region, with the highest-spending hospital allocating 15.65 pounds per patient, which is over ten pounds more than the lowest-ranked facility.

Jeremy Hunt, the recently-appointed health secretary, said this could suggest that some hospitals are either under- or overspending on food, while additional investigations will be needed to see if higher expenditure is associated with better standards.

He added: "The figures published today show while the NHS is spending more on food as a whole, costs vary wildly across the country."

This comes in the same week that the Department of Health laid out a new set of basic principles covering the quality, nutritional content and range of choice available for hospital food, as well as launching a series of performance assessments for this issue.