MEMBERS of the NHS Borders board have been asked to provide feedback on patient food.

Producing on average 6,811 patient meals a week, the NHS Borders Catering Department has to ensure each one of the meals is tasty, good value and nutritionally balanced, and great care is taken when planning the hospital menus.

Hospitals are required to provide appropriate food, fluid and nutritional care to manage any nutritional risk and improve health and well-being and to optimise the wider clinical management of all patients.

After taking the taste test, Borders General scored four out of five for the food.

Andrew Murray, the Medical Director for NHS Borders has been learning first hand from the patient experiences and wanted to serve up some sample dishes to fellow Board Directors to gather some feedback.

He said: "Understanding a patient’s experience plays a vital role when looking at improving the quality and safe patient care we provide.”

Caroline Herkes, NHS Borders Catering Manager said: “We are very pleased to receive feedback from the Board. It’s important to us to keep the menus relevant and ensure patients receive a choice.

"We aim to cater for all types of diet and will work directly with wards when specific requirements are identified."

John Raine, NHS Borders Chairman encouraged the tasting session by adding: “Every day my Board and I make decisions that impact on our patients’ experience in some way; that is why a simple exercise of serving up patient food between board meetings will remind us that providing safe patient care is our number one priority. 

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