24.02.16
Healthy eating concerns raised as majority of doctors and nurses miss meals
Unhealthy eating is a prevalent problem for the NHS workforce, with doctors and nurses regularly skipping meals and relying on unhealthy snacks owing to time pressures.
In response to a new survey by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), which is the biggest hospital retailer in England, Scotland and Wales, 80% of doctors and nurses said they regularly skipped meals and 49% said they ‘grab what they can, when they can’.
The lack of time could be due to pressures caused by understaffing and stress, which were amongst the major problems complained about in the 2015 NHS Staff Survey.
However, 52% said there weren’t many healthy options available in their hospital, leading to NHS staff typically eating just two portions of fruit or vegetables and drinking half a litre of water a day, despite the NHS’s own guidelines recommending five portions and two litres.
Kate Bull, executive director of retail for the RVS, said: “For the first time ever, poor diet has overtaken smoking as the biggest single cause of life-style related illness. Workforce health is a major priority for NHS England and it’s important that the food and drink options for hospital staff and visitors are healthy and nutritious.”
The RVS has launched a flagship café at Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset which offers options such as low-fat breakfast sausages. They plan to introduce a complete Healthy Choices programme, with new menus and healthy options, across the UK by March 2017.
The initiative is supported by doctors and nurses, with 78% wanting healthier options introduced and 62% believing these would have a positive effect on their overall diet.
Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “It’s great to see one of the biggest NHS hospital retailers taking clear action. Others must now follow the Royal Voluntary Service’s lead, do the responsible thing and provide more tasty, healthy and affordable alternatives."