The Independent Review of NHS Hospital Food Report: How the “Scraegg” can offer solutions to many of the points raised
The review of hospital food in 2020 is a detailed report looking at what struggles caterers, nursing teams and patients face. Many of these issues have become increasingly prevalent under the strain that Covid-19 has placed on the NHS. Some of the areas the report focuses on are problems that are relevant to the solutions that high speed ovens can provide. At the end of 2019 The High Speed Oven Company started selling the ‘Scraegg’ which prepares, scrambled eggs and soup in under 20 seconds at the touch of a button.
In the sections below we look at some of the points raised in the report and how Scraegg can offer a solution to those points.
Food as Medicine
There has been “a shift in mindset to increasingly view food as an integral part of a patients care plan, viewed by both patients and staff in the same way as they view medication and other therapies” (p11). Nonetheless 30% of patients admitted to hospital are at risk of malnutrition (The Cost of Malnutrition in England, 2015) and patients trying to recover without proper nutrition spend 30% longer in hospital than patients who are not malnourished.
The report highlights on ward patient catering presents these difficulties:
- Patients are not well and do not want to be there, and they often lack appetite
- Their medical conditions, personal or cultural preferences and religious requirements necessitate multiple food options
- Many patients need help to eat
- NHS kitchens are often a long way from the customer
- Kitchens maybe in sorry need of refurbishment and wards often lack finishing kitchens or café facilities
Scraegg can offer these solutions
- Scrambled eggs can provide a nutritionally rich meal that also hydrates
- Scrambled eggs (or porridge or soup) cooked in Scraegg offer a hot meal option
- It is soft and easy to eat for those patients who have difficulty chewing
- The Scraegg can be trolley mounted and plugged into any 13A socket on wards allowing food to freshly cooked in 15 seconds ensuring food is served in optimal condition to the patient. The report highlights that often ‘the biggest challenge can often be in ensuring the food is delivered within a timeframe and at a temperature that meets patient expectations’. (p13)
- No Kitchen required, simply a plug.
Food for NHS Staff & Visitors
In a checklist for catering managers the report suggest that the same food served to patients should regularly offered to staff and visitor restaurants. In a 2018 NHS staff survey, 39% of staff felt that food and catering facilities in their workplace were poor. It also highlighted that “proper nutrition and hydration are not only important for clinical staff but also for facilities and kitchen staff”
With 29% of the UK adult population and 1 in 4 nursing staff obese, the need for healthy food options has never been greater. Scraegg can be installed anywhere offering staff hot food in 15 seconds. High in protein and low in fat, scrambled eggs can provide a nutritionally rich meal for staff at the touch of a button.
Hot Food 24/7
The report suggests a 24/7 hot and cold snack provision for patients, staff and visitors.
Staff on night shifts are perhaps the most ill served of all the groups looked at – often left with vending machine as the only choice with nothing healthy and nothing hot available The report goes on to add that ‘one in five NHS staff work in shifts over night. They have higher incidences of chronic illnesses like diabetes. Their sleep cycles and metabolism can be severely disrupted. This means access to healthier options could be even more important” (p35)
Scraegg allows food to be served 24/7 even when caterers are unavailable. It’s easy of use – and cleaning – results in hot food available for patients, staff and visitors whenever required.
‘Patients may have missed the meal service when they are having surgery, or a baby, or a scan. Some patients who are nutritionally vulnerable, need to eat little and often. Others may just be in need of a snack to help them between meals’ (p34). Scraegg is the perfect solution to this scenario. It can easily be used by any staff member on a ward and quickly produce a meal for those in need.
