Bassetlaw: Colourful new menus are a real hit with everyone

The colourful 20-page booklet is called the Patients’ Bedside Menu and has been given the thumbs-up by patients and staff alike.

What sets it apart from traditional hospital menus is that patients can see at a glance exactly what their meals will look like over a two-week period. Each page contains photographs of individual meals, including the chef’s choice, a cold choice and sweets and desserts. Patients can also see what is available in the out-of-hours snack boxes provided where someone misses their usual mealtime because, for example, they were fasting before surgery or were admitted to hospital late at night.

The new menus, which were designed by the Trust’s Graphic Design Department, also contain advice on healthy eating, a question-and-answers section with a dietitian, plus a reminder for patients of the importance of cleaning hands before eating.

Owen Ditch, head of catering at the trust said: “We prepare and cook all meals on site using fresh and healthy ingredients. We wanted to complement this process by producing our own patient menu containing pictures of the meals we make. It’s not just a list of meal options. We’ve taken the opportunity to include advice on healthy eating and hand hygiene.”