Junk food NOT what the doctor, or nurse, ordered
TAMESIDE HOSPITAL IS FIRST IN COUNTRY TO BAN UNHEALTHY MEALS FROM RESTAURANT
PIES, apple crumble and fizzy drinks are all off the menu for staff at Tameside Hospital as it becomes the first in England to BAN unhealthy food from its restaurant.
A study by the University of Edinburgh published last month revealed that one-in-four NHS nurses is obese, and the move came about as a result of concerns over the health and wellbeing of Tameside’s 4,000 members of staff.
Karen James, chief executive of the hospital trust, commissioned weight loss service Slimpod to run a 12-week programme with 100 members of staff over the summer.
As part of the programme the restaurant started to offer healthier options, and they proved so popular that trust bosses decided to go the whole hog and ban unhealthy food completely.
The canteen, which is for staff and visitors, has swapped cheese and onion and steak pies for dishes like paella and stroganoff; apple crumble and other fat-laden desserts have been replaced with fruit salad; and sugary breakfast cereals have been given the boot in favour of porridge.
The only drinks available are tea, coffee, milk and water. The hospital’s vending machines – which currently sell a range of items including crisps, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks – will soon follow suit.
According to a spokesperson they are also in talks with the on-site Costa Coffee franchise about reducing the amount of sugar on offer.
Ms James said: “My staff work very hard. Long hours and shift patterns often make it very difficult for people to make healthy choices, so they opt for the instant sweet fixes which until now have been readily available.
“These are dedicated healthcare professionals who believe they should be role models for their patients but the food environment has been working against them.”
Amanda Bromley, hospital director responsible for staff wellbeing, added: “A recent report revealed one-in-four NHS nurses is obese and this could be contributing to high staff sickness levels and heaping more pressure on the health service.”
Staff members who took part in the Slimpod programme, 90 per cent of whom reported that their biggest problem at work was snacking, lost up to 28lbs over the 12 weeks.
Macmillan cancer nurse Stephanie Ridgway, 50, said: “My problem was I could be giving advice to my patients about healthy eating with my pockets stuffed with chocolate bars. Now I feel that I’m practising what I preach. I’ve lost 21 lbs and I’m a size 10.”
Tameside is the first NHS England trust to issue a blanket ban on unhealthy foods, and it has been praised by the National Obesity Forum with chairman Tam Fry calling the move ‘trailblazing.’