Shake-up of hospital meals to save £220k

Meals for patients at Cannock Chase Hospital will be prepared and cooked at Stafford to save £220,000 a year.

Bosses at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust have given conditional approval to the plan.

Under the scheme, the food will be transported 11 miles from Stafford Hospital to Cannock and then reheated. Trust bosses are also currently considering reducing the opening hours of the restaurant at Stafford. It could close at weekends as part of the money-saving measures.

The Cannock and Stafford plan was discussed at yesterday's board meeting.

Chairman, professor John Caldwell, said: "What we are saying is conditional approval at the moment."

He said they wanted to further consult staff who would be affected by the change. Human resources director Margot Johnson said: "Staff need to have a chance to understand the proposal's benefits for themselves and patients."

Dennis Heywood, non executive director, said it was important patients did not see a decline in the quality of their meals.

He said: "We need to continue to offer choice and quality for people at Cannock, we don't want it to be a case of the bus is late, we need to make sure the food is delivered adequately. It is difficult to argue when you are talking about such substantial amounts of money."

George Adamson, leader of Cannock Chase District Council, also made it clear he had reservations about the scheme. The trust has to make savings of six per cent over the coming year and the following two after that.

The idea of reduced opening hours at Stafford's Nightingale Restaurant was first raised in December. Staff said they had now been told that closure at weekends was a strong possibility.

Former finance director Darren Cattell, prior to his departure in May, identified cutting down "unnecessary overtime" as a way of meeting financial targets.