Kingston Hospital Inpatient Nutrition Report
Kingston Hospital is the main provider for a large percentage of the population of
Richmond upon Thames. We were contacted by Kingston Hospital who were interested in looking into the patient experience of nutrition, hydration and food provision in inpatient wards. In addition to this, we were interested in returning to Kingston Hospital to follow up on our last visit in 2019.
Read the report here
Our recommendations:
- Patients should be told about the importance of nutrition for their recovery and to be encouraged to maximise their calorie intake.
- All patients should be asked on arrival if they require an alternative menu.
- All patients should have access to a printed menu and serving staff should be aware of all options available, including for alternative diets.
- All patients should have an opportunity to wash their hands before and after meal times.
- The findings of the meal ordering trial on Alex and Astor wards should be shared and used to improve the service.
- A greater variety of fruit should be available to patients.
- Patients should be offered seconds after their meal.
- Action should be taken to ensure compliance with infection control measures during meal times.
- The hospital should provide Healthwatch with an update about our concerns around the ward at night.
Kingston Hospital's Response:
A copy of this report was sent to Kingston Hospital for their comment. Upon the finalisation and publication of this report, the hospital plans to initiate the implementation of an action plan to address the recommendations. We look forward to receiving an update on the implementation of this action plan.
This report was written alongside a report from our colleagues at Healthwatch Kingston. Read their report here:
We want to extend our thanks to our amazing team of volunteers who supported us during the Enter & View visits. Without their dedication and expertise we would not be able to support our community in the way we do.
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