0:00:02 > 0:00:08Every year the NHS spends around £500 million on hospital food
0:00:08 > 0:00:11but it's reckoned that almost half the patients refuse to eat it
0:00:11 > 0:00:13because they find it inedible.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Mashed potato, what's wrong with the mash then?
0:00:15 > 0:00:17You could hang wallpaper up with it.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I believe that everybody deserves to eat good food.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25To me, there's nowhere where food is more important than in a hospital.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It's estimated that the previous government
0:00:27 > 0:00:31spent more than £50 million on failed initiatives
0:00:31 > 0:00:33to change the food on our wards.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Scarborough General Hospital is up for change.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40For the next three months, I'm working alongside the kitchen staff
0:00:40 > 0:00:41to try and make a difference.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Pat, I'm trying to help you.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47- I know you are.- Everything's out of a tin, everything's out of packet -
0:00:47 > 0:00:49everything. All the veg are frozen.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53But there's also a personal reason why I want to take this on.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I watched my grandmother pass away in hospital
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and, and she was a huge influence on me in terms of food and...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and teaching me about food.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04To watch her suffer
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and to watch her eat the stuff that was served in the hospital,
0:01:08 > 0:01:09it wasn't fantastic.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12The only way to change it is to actually physically
0:01:12 > 0:01:15get off your backside and do something about it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I've been given exclusive access to Scarborough General Hospital
0:01:28 > 0:01:31which provides healthcare for the Northeast of Yorkshire.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34More than 40,000 people are admitted each year
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and they all need to be fed.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42I've never really sort of seen behind the scenes in
0:01:42 > 0:01:45a working hospital. I'm assuming it's like a,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49like a hotel kitchen...ish.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The kitchens at Scarborough are run by catering manager Pat Bell.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I've worked here in Scarborough Hospital for nearly 21 years.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Previous to that, I was deputy catering manager
0:02:02 > 0:02:05in Southampton General Hospital.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Good morning, it's Pat here from Scarborough Hospital.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10We have to cater for the whole spectrum.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Not everybody's going to like everything so the choices that
0:02:14 > 0:02:17we put on the menu we hope will appeal to a wide range of people.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Pat is supported by a loyal and dedicated team, many of them have
0:02:21 > 0:02:28also been there for over 20 years and include head chef Sharon Ellis,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Alan "Big Al" Rosbottom
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and budding young chef Darren Glover, known as "Big Bird"
0:02:35 > 0:02:37to his colleagues.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44James Martin, I mean he's familiar to most caterers.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46He's got a lot in common with the staff here
0:02:46 > 0:02:48that work at Scarborough Hospital.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50He went to Yorkshire Coast College
0:02:50 > 0:02:52where a lot of them have trained as well.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56We have such a rich environment round in Scarborough, you know,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58great fish, great producers.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I know the people in the area.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I know particularly how good the local food is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07I think we're very proud that a local person has done so well
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and wants to come and work with us.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I've catered for thousands of people a day but this is
0:03:13 > 0:03:17definitely the hardest challenge that I've ever done.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So I'm feeling nervous, apprehensive, um...
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Why did I ever say yes to this?!
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'Before I go into the kitchens, I want to hear from the people
0:03:34 > 0:03:36'that matter the most - the patients.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40'It's their opinion that really counts, so I head straight
0:03:40 > 0:03:43'to the Maple ward to talk to some of the long-term patients.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:48What do you think of the food you've had cos you,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51you've been here six months, you must have tasted everything.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Yeah, I have, yeah. It's not good.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- I appreciate that it's difficult cooking for all these people.- Hmm.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- I would just like it to be better and taste better.- Yeah.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I mean, yesterday we had roast pork and apple sauce, carrots and cabbage,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09but the cabbage, the carrots were cooked within an inch of their life.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- Yeah, right. - And the mashed potatoes,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- I don't really know what had happened to them.- Right.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17- You know?- The only criticism I could make is the size of it,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20they feel a bit like kids' meals to me.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22As a package it's pretty poor.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Vegetables wet and soggy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Mashed potato - you could walk across it
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and custard the same, you know?
0:04:32 > 0:04:36It's lumpy and, well, you could walk across that as well.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Is this you, cauliflower cheese?
0:04:38 > 0:04:39Yes, that's right.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- Cauliflower cheese and side salad. - Yeah, yeah.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46I just don't like the mashed potato and that cuts out the other things.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I mean, if I can have, I'd have mashed potato probably,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51sliced beans and carrots.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- So why didn't you have it then? - The potatoes just,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I don't like it at all.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Mashed potato, what's wrong with the mash then?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01You could hang wallpaper up with it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03OK.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07When you swallow it, it seems to go down in a big lump.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13'Independent surveys as far back as 1963
0:05:13 > 0:05:17'consistently conclude that the NHS hospital food is
0:05:17 > 0:05:21'neither appetising nor nutritious, which is hardly surprising when you
0:05:21 > 0:05:24'discover that as little as £1 a meal is being spent.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'I've been given the opportunity
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'to make a difference here at Scarborough.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40'My first task is to win the hearts and minds of the hospital staff.'
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Feel a bit like a new boy starting school,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47you know, for the first time.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Apprehensive, nervous.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I do feel like I've just started a new job.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57But, well...
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I suppose we, we give it a go, don't we?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Is Pat around, or... You're Pat are you?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Hiya James, nice to meet you.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Welcome to Scarborough Hospital, nice to see you.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- Let me introduce you to Sharon my head chef.- Hi, pleased to me you.- Hello Sharon,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- are you all right? - Fine thank you.- And how many meals come out of here a day?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- Over a thousand. - A thousand meals a day.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- And who decides the menu, you?- Yes.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And how much have we got to spend?
0:06:31 > 0:06:36We have a patient meal allowance of £3.49 per patient per day.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- And that includes... - It's a lot then, innit?
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- Yeah, all three meals.- Three meals.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45Three main meals, all their beverages and biscuits that we give them throughout the day.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- How many full-time chefs have we got, in here?- 12.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- 12?- 13 with me, yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Right, OK.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56'I'm beginning to understand the challenges they're facing.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00'They're producing a huge volume of meals here, with just over
0:07:00 > 0:07:04'£1 per patient, per meal and they have to do all this
0:07:04 > 0:07:08'in a kitchen that's not exactly state of the art.'
0:07:08 > 0:07:10And all this kit works then, does it?
0:07:10 > 0:07:11- Yeah, yeah.- Are you sure?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- Yes, it all works.- Right, when was this machine made?
0:07:16 > 0:07:22Where's the... Where's the coal go into it?! Bloody hell, look at that thing.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24You don't use... Do you still use this?
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Yes, yeah.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Like many other NHS hospitals, Scarborough rotates
0:07:35 > 0:07:37its menus on a three week basis.
0:07:37 > 0:07:42This means that every day for 21 days the patients are offered
0:07:42 > 0:07:45a new menu to choose off for both lunch and dinner.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50This results in the kitchen staff cooking over 100 different dishes per menu cycle.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52That's today's patients' menu.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- This is it, yeah? - That's today's lunch menu.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Shepherd's pie,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03- so D is diabetic, R is reducing. What's that for, reducing what? - Weight.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Give them a side salad, love. That's what...
0:08:08 > 0:08:10F. But F, you've got low fat as well.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Yeah.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17OK. 'Already I can see some conflict brewing with Pat.'
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- Margarine.- Yeah.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- Polyunsaturated. - But that's bad for you.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25No. Polyunsaturated margarine which is better for you than butter, James.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Can't be.- Which we know that you like your butter.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And it's better than butter.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Please tell me we'll have butter instead of margarine, because if not I'm going to
0:08:34 > 0:08:38- take you where it's made and prove to you that margarine's bad for you. - All right then.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Have I got my work cut out then? - You sure have.
0:08:44 > 0:08:50He's taken the mick out of my equipment here in the kitchen already and he'd only been here ten
0:08:50 > 0:08:58minutes and he wants to put butter on the menu so I think we're going to have a bit of a fight on our hands.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'It's day one and I've already identified one area I want to change...
0:09:07 > 0:09:10'as the menus are rotated on a three week basis, the kitchen team end up
0:09:10 > 0:09:13'cooking a staggering number of different dishes.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17'No wonder there are grumblings from patients about quality.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19'I need to find a way of simplifying things.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24'But before I can change anything I need to understand the whole process.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29'The kitchen staff have been in since 6am preparing and cooking today's lunch.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- It's now half past ten.- Yeah.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34When does this get eaten?
0:09:34 > 0:09:38It leaves the kitchen at quarter past 11 and it gets to the wards any time round
0:09:38 > 0:09:44about 12 o'clock and after that, you know, the different wards get it different times, obviously.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I'm amazed that you make food and it's made at 10.30,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and then it gets boosted to temperature again,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56no wonder it's rotten when it gets to the... It's...
0:09:56 > 0:10:01You see it's difficult explaining to somebody that's just walked in that, you know, how we actually work and
0:10:01 > 0:10:04it sounds like we don't know what we're doing really, but obviously we do.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But you know, until he gets up on to the ward and sees the meal being
0:10:07 > 0:10:12presented to the patient then he might get some idea of how it works.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16'I'm still getting my head around how this kitchen functions,
0:10:16 > 0:10:21'so I think the best thing to do is follow today's lunch as it heads up to the wards.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25'This is the moment that the whole morning has been building up to.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30'There are around 300 patients all waiting for their lunch.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'First, the catering staff portion the food before placing it into a hot cabinet.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38'The food is then held in here until it's time to be transferred
0:10:38 > 0:10:43'into insulated boxes that go up to the wards, one box per ward.'
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- What does this mean?- These are all the names of the wards that we have.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- What you have a ward called Stroke? - There's a stroke unit.- Oh, right.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55It's going to be changed.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57We'll have you on it by the end of the week.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I was going to say!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12They'll put the food into the trolley.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18- Yeah.- They've put it on a cycle for 15 minutes so it's at 120 degrees.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23'Once the food has been superheated to the right temperature,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26'it's then put on to a trolley and plated up for the patients.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34'Every year the NHS spends around £500 million on food.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'Lunchtime should be one of the highlights of a patient's day,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'but from what I've seen, this food may be fine when it's freshly cooked
0:11:40 > 0:11:47'in the kitchen, but by the time it gets to the ward a few hours later, it's pretty unappetising.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51'But I think we should be viewing foods served on hospital wards as a medicine.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56'A report in 2000 on the NHS, found that 40% of patients
0:11:56 > 0:12:01'are malnourished in hospital and one in ten would have a shorter stay if the food was better.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'I believe the food they eat should be setting the standards and provide
0:12:05 > 0:12:06'them with a template of what
0:12:06 > 0:12:09'they need to be eating when they go home.'
0:12:09 > 0:12:11- And once you've done this?- Yeah.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13What happens to all this?
0:12:13 > 0:12:14They're thrown away.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Any left gets disposed of, can't be reused cos it's been out on the ward.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- So anything that's not eaten. - So gone,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26- thrown away? - No, yes, once it goes off the ward,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29it'll go down a waste disposal unit, anything that's left over.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33You can't eat it, nothing?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Nothing...it's thrown, everything.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I was shocked to find, you know, and you saw, you know,
0:12:40 > 0:12:4440% of what we served today for lunch, just goes in the bin.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50Now you times that by 18 wards, times by how many hospitals are in the UK.
0:12:50 > 0:12:56That's a tremendous, tremendous amount of food that just goes to waste that nobody...nobody eats.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Yeah.- And this happens at every hospital, every ward,
0:12:59 > 0:13:00every hospital around Britain.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It depends on the type of ward that you've got.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I mean, we're in acute hospitals, you have more people coming in and out,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08there's more people going into theatre...
0:13:08 > 0:13:11- Yeah, it's difficult to cater obviously for numbers.- So cos,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13a consultant come on the ward this morning and make five
0:13:13 > 0:13:18- patients nil by mouth, while we're portioning up the food downstairs. - And that's it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- So you, you've got to have a certain cut-off time.- Absolutely.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26- Where can you say. Well, we can't. - But it's still... it's still 35% of it.- There was a lot left.
0:13:26 > 0:13:27There was a lot there actually.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36'The patients order a day in advance and although I understand the need for a cut-off time for the food to
0:13:36 > 0:13:40'leave the kitchen, I'm horrified at the amount of taxpayers' money
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'that's literally going into the bin.'
0:13:50 > 0:13:54'Alex Jackson works for Sustain, a campaign group that has consistently lobbied for an
0:13:54 > 0:14:00'improvement in hospital food and is particularly concerned about the high levels of waste.'
0:14:01 > 0:14:07Now over recent years, there's been over 50 million quid spent on government-funded initiatives
0:14:07 > 0:14:11to try and employ, you know, in, increase the quality of the food,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14why do you think it's not worked?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Well, I think it's really simple.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19As you say, the Government's spent over £50 million on
0:14:19 > 0:14:25gimmicks to improve hospital food and yet in 2007, 50,000 people were still
0:14:25 > 0:14:28dying in the NHS with malnutrition.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33The Government spends two billion quid of our money, every year on food that's served in public institutions,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36including hospitals, but also including schools,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39the armed forces, government departments and prisons too.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44So the Good Food For Our Money campaign wants to improve food wherever it's served
0:14:44 > 0:14:48in public institutions and paid for by the British taxpayer.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51They must know there's a problem otherwise they wouldn't be spending
0:14:51 > 0:14:52the money doing these sort of things.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- They recognise there's a problem. - Yeah.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57But they're not doing any substantial to, to solve it.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03What we actually need is to have regulation so that these things can't go by the wayside any more.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'Sustain has called for compulsory hospital food standards
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'across the board, but the Health Minister,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'Simon Burns, believes responsibility
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'lies with each individual NHS Trust.'
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'For me to be able to improve the food at Scarborough General Hospital
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'I need to discover what ingredients have been used,
0:15:28 > 0:15:30'and where they've been sourced from.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35'The hospital is surrounded by some of the finest and most fertile farming land in the UK,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38'and the fresh produce from here is fantastic.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40'But like most NHS Trusts,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'those with the purchasing power aren't looking
0:15:43 > 0:15:44'on their own doorstep.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48'Pat's order books have all the evidence I need.'
0:15:48 > 0:15:52270 pints of semi-skimmed in every day.
0:15:52 > 0:15:5660 pints of full cream in every day and then, probably round about...
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I mean it's a big five-star hotel.
0:16:00 > 0:16:0270 dozen yoghurts a week.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Yeah, budget for just for the dairy.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07- Yeah.- OK. Where does this come from?
0:16:07 > 0:16:11This comes from Normanton.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15'Normanton is over 70 miles from the hospital.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19'Surely there's somewhere closer in a rich farming area like this,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'but the dairy product supplier isn't the only surprise.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:27And the fish, where does that come from, cos we're right by the coast? Where's that?
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Some of it comes from Somerset.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Some of it comes from Bradford.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Well-known place near the coast, Bradford.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'I can't accept that it's not cheaper to source products locally,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45'so what are they actually buying?'
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Lot of soup here.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Well, we have to use 14 flavours of soup a week cos we
0:16:51 > 0:16:55have one on at a lunchtime and one on at supper time every single day.
0:16:55 > 0:17:03We've got our basic tin provisions, so tinned tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, plum tomatoes, beans, tin of tuna,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- spaghetti hoops we use for the creche in the children's ward.- OK.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10And then we've got a canned fruits, this side, so.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Is it the reason why we have tinned fruit is,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18is it for any reason, or not?
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Well, we have to have fruit on the menu every day but we use tinned fruit,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25we only use tinned fruit in natural juice, we don't use it in syrup.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Yeah.- Cos then it caters for the patients who are on special diets.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31So whips that we have, cold sweets,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34so they'll supplement our menus
0:17:34 > 0:17:37and they're suitable for diets as well.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So are the dieticians happy with this?
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- Yes.- Really?!
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Yes.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45If they weren't it wouldn't be on the menu.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51Now I reckon your buying power is probably ten times more than any chef I know.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56- Right. - How much are you spending a year, if you don't mind me asking, on food,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- a year?- Nearly half a million.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- Half a million quid?- Half a million,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02roughly, on provisions.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04That's a lot of money you get to spend, isn't it?
0:18:06 > 0:18:11'I don't think Pat realises just how strong her purchasing power is.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17'And what a difference to the local economy she could make by buying locally.'
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Right and out here, James, I've got my outside freezer.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Looks like an air raid shelter, look at it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Well, it works anyway, it's freezing in here. OK. What's up here?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33We've got omelettes up here.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- Omelettes?- Omelettes.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37- In a freezer?- In a freezer.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- I've never seen...- You've never seen a frozen omelette, James?- No.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47- And how much are these? - I think they're about 25 pence each.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- 25p?- Yeah.
0:18:50 > 0:18:57- Most of the veg that goes on to the menu as a vegetable, stand-alone vegetable.- As a veg?- Is frozen.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Right, well I'm off, I know I'm a Yorkshireman but it's too cold in here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- You're a wimp, James.- Freezing.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Everything's out of a tin, everything's out of packet,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09everything. All the veg are frozen,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13all the soups ready-made, all out of a packet and apparently they put two
0:19:13 > 0:19:15packets in to make it taste better.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18He's just taken the mickey out of the frozen omelettes
0:19:18 > 0:19:23that I buy in, so I've challenged him to make 150 omelettes,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26get them out to 18 different wards,
0:19:26 > 0:19:35all fork service at the appropriate time in each ward, either 12 o'clock for lunch or six o'clock for supper.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I think that one's going to be an interesting one and I think it's
0:19:38 > 0:19:41going to be the biggest omelette challenge that he's ever seen.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43'Another day, Pat!
0:19:43 > 0:19:48'Let me get over the shock of that frozen omelette first
0:19:48 > 0:19:52'and the amount of processed food used in here.'
0:19:52 > 0:19:55How can that possibly be good for you?
0:19:55 > 0:19:57You see, they've got butter in here.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05It's...it's in here but it's rare as rocking horse poo on the menu.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07HE SIGHS
0:20:07 > 0:20:08We shall see.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14You cannot, cannot tell me
0:20:14 > 0:20:18that freshly made soup is not better for you than that.
0:20:18 > 0:20:26It's not possible. At the end of the day soup, I guarantee you it's quicker to make a soup.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I will do it, I'll prove a point.
0:20:33 > 0:20:39'I'm starting to formulate my plan to transform the food here at Scarborough Hospital.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43'Already I can see the need to simplify the menus by reducing the amount of dishes they cook,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48'and focus on quality rather than quantity.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53'I need to look at how to reduce the incredible amount of wastage on the wards.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'And I want to win over the hearts and minds of the staff
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'and get them to cook fresh ingredients from local suppliers.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04'But any changes I make to the menu will have to go the hospital dieticians for their approval.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07'They need to analyse new recipes to ensure they have
0:21:07 > 0:21:11'the correct nutritional content and balance for the patients.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13'So I need to get Rachel Bumby on my side.'
0:21:15 > 0:21:20So Rachel, you're the dietician at the hospital, there's not just you, there's eight of you here?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Yeah, there's eight in our department.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Right. And do... Your main role is what?
0:21:24 > 0:21:29As a qualified dietician we translate scientific information about
0:21:29 > 0:21:31food into practical dietary advice.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Food, I always think is a medicine.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37You're going to look at this as a medicine, I'm assuming as well.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Yes, food's a vital, vitally important for the healing process and
0:21:41 > 0:21:43is an essential part of any patient's treatment.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47This is currently on the menu, though. And I'm pretty shocked
0:21:47 > 0:21:52that this sort of stuff gets through.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57There's restraints with any budget and I think we do the best we can with the resources that we have.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I think the main goal is to get rid of the stuff that we've got here
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and if I can replace it, keep it under cost, it's got to be,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06got to meet your criteria more than this.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10From my, my perspective, my aim is to make sure that the menu is suitable
0:22:10 > 0:22:14for all of our patients who have a wide variety of nutritional needs.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Now, this menu's not changed, I believe, for nine years.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22I'm about to change it, we've got three weeks.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24The process that we have to go through is once we've got
0:22:24 > 0:22:30your standard recipes, we actually go through each recipe and analyse each section using a computer programme.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34We can't do anything without your approval really?
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- It normally takes a number of weeks for us to be able to do that.- Right.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41However, because things have deadlines we're going to be
0:22:41 > 0:22:43splitting it up and having a go each.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48So that's good news, I need to get cracking. I shall do my best.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'But before I make any drastic changes,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'I need to sort out some of the basics.'
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Frozen beans take a minute to cook.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02They've been in there about ten minutes.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04How you doing, you all right?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06'There's limited cooking from scratch going on,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10'which must be a frustration for a highly skilled kitchen team.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:16The old boy there cooking the beans, the hotels where he's worked
0:23:16 > 0:23:18is amazing, you know?
0:23:18 > 0:23:23He's spent most of his life making fresh soup and preparing fresh veg and,
0:23:23 > 0:23:24and cooking it.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28And then he gets here and he's just putting frozen beans in a boiler
0:23:28 > 0:23:30and cooking it for ten minutes.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36'What's crazy to me is the perfect solution is right under our nose.'
0:23:36 > 0:23:41They've got a piece of kit in there, it's worth about ten grand,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45that is the best bit of kit in the kitchen to cook anything in.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47And it's not worked for ten years. And it'll cook,
0:23:47 > 0:23:54literally a tray of raw carrots in about 45 seconds.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It's brilliant and it's not a microwave, nothing.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59It's superheated steam, it'll keep all the nutrients in there.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03It's a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant way of cooking.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07So we need that to work.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10The NHS doesn't throw money at catering departments like
0:24:10 > 0:24:13a lot of the big hotels and, and restaurants do.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So I think it has actually been quite an eye-opener for him this morning,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- to see what equipment we have to work with.- Deal, I'll do you a deal.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- Yeah, go on then.- Right?- Yeah.
0:24:22 > 0:24:28If we achieve what you want, what you want and what I want,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and we all leave here with a smile on our face, I will buy you
0:24:31 > 0:24:33a brand-new machine to replace that.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Aw, James. Aw, that's nice.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38And that's coming from a Yorkshireman, that.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47'I've only been here one day and there's been a huge amount to take on board.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50'The first thing I want to tackle
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'Pat about is simplifying their inefficient 21-day menu cycle.'
0:24:54 > 0:24:58I know that the menus last for three weeks, there's a three week cycle...
0:24:58 > 0:25:01but are people really staying here three weeks and do really
0:25:01 > 0:25:05people mind having a different choice every day for 21 days.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Are you really bothered with that?
0:25:08 > 0:25:14'In fact the average length of stay is only four-and-a-half days, so I want to reduce the menu cycle
0:25:14 > 0:25:19'to just one week, but it can only happen if Pat gives me her full support.'
0:25:21 > 0:25:26I really do genuinely believe a weekly menu works.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I think a week is pushing it, James.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32I really, really... Trust me.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- OK.- Plus points is less ordering.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Yeah.- Less waste,
0:25:37 > 0:25:38- better value.- Yeah.
0:25:38 > 0:25:43Cos you'll get, you're buying in bigger, bigger quantities, better, you'll get a much better cost.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47You'll know exactly your food costs, much more regularly, and you
0:25:47 > 0:25:51can fluctuate that because of the seasons and everything else.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53And you can change the menu more often.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58I think the fresh vegetables that we make, we make our own soup.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02So all I'm asking is weekly, make our own soup and veg,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05that's it for the moment, nothing else.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Well, I'm going to put your argument over to the rest of the team.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13- We have got a reputation for our hospital food.- Yeah.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And it's been good, right? And I don't want them to feel...
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I know your reservations, I realise that.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29I'm trying to help though. I'm not... I'm not trying to criticise.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- No, I know that. - I'm not trying to criticise.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I don't want them to feel that though, because I think what
0:26:35 > 0:26:38they will come back and say to me is,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42"He's only been here a day and he's going to chop the menu in two."
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I'm not. I'm not on about... I've been here a day, I'm not on about.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- I'm trying to make it easier for you.- I know you are.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52- You've got... You've got hardly any equipment.- I know.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55All right, I will come here and I will work, and if I've got to make
0:26:55 > 0:26:57bloody omelettes, I will make omelettes.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I will help you as much as I can.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01And I'm trying to make it easier for you.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05But what I don't want them to feel, cos after today you've been in today,
0:27:05 > 0:27:10is that he's come in, you've agreed Pat to chop two thirds off the menu.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15I need to break that to them gently to say this is what we want to do.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- Right, OK. I'll... - Do you see where I'm coming from?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20What about offer them two weeks first, then?
0:27:20 > 0:27:23But I think that might be easier to accept.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25OK, I agree with you.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27- Deal?- Deal.- Hug?
0:27:35 > 0:27:39'I know I'm asking Pat to implement big changes to her kitchen.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41'I want her to simplify the menus and start cooking with
0:27:41 > 0:27:45'more fresh ingredients, so I need to demonstrate to her
0:27:45 > 0:27:48'that it's still possible even on her limited budget.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53'Here in London I'm hoping a visit to a centre of excellence
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'will open her eyes to see what can be achieved.'
0:27:56 > 0:28:00So I'm here, right here in the centre of London at Brompton Hospital.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Now this place has won countless awards for their food
0:28:03 > 0:28:08and I for one am intrigued about how they've done it because they still keep within their budget.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10They've only got 1p a day more to spend than they have in
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Scarborough, but they've managed to do organic, local produce.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18They try and get at least a third of their produce from a 50-mile radius around London.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20When you think about London prices,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23in particular for food, it's going to be a lot more expensive
0:28:23 > 0:28:25than it is in Scarborough.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27So I can't wait to find out
0:28:27 > 0:28:33and, hopefully, Pat and Sharon will enjoy it too. So fingers crossed.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40'Well, as Pat and head chef Sharon make their way down here,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44'there's still only one topic of conversation.'
0:28:44 > 0:28:47A one week menu I think is just far too risky.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49Yeah, that's too drastic,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51- I think, isn't it?- Well, I think so.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54'Pat is still sticking to her guns
0:28:54 > 0:28:59'but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this visit will help my cause.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03'The Royal Brompton is a rarity amongst hospital trusts.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06'They believe that their patients deserve good nutritious food
0:29:06 > 0:29:09'to make their stay more pleasant and aid recovery.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12'A specialist heart and lung hospital,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15'it treats up to 300 patients at any one time.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17'Pat's equivalent is Mike Duckett.
0:29:17 > 0:29:25'Although he has pretty much the same amount to spend per patient as Pat, he uses fresh local ingredients
0:29:25 > 0:29:27'and cooks everything from scratch on site.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30'He can afford to do this by supplementing his budget with the
0:29:30 > 0:29:34'profit he makes from his successful on-site public restaurant.'
0:29:34 > 0:29:36So, are you looking forward to it?
0:29:36 > 0:29:42'I think Pat and Sharon can learn a lot from this model, so I'm hoping Mike will be able to inspire them.'
0:29:42 > 0:29:44- Welcome to the kitchen, ladies.- Thanks.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48And the kitchen is based on a hotel kitchen, so here we've got
0:29:48 > 0:29:56the pastry section and Louis our pastry chef makes all the pastries, sponges that sort of thing.
0:29:56 > 0:29:57So today he made the apple flan
0:29:57 > 0:30:02and he's, at the moment, making the scones for the afternoon tea.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05- Oh, they look nice, don't they? - They look good, don't they, girls?
0:30:05 > 0:30:10They do, yeah, very good. So how many staff have you got, chefs-wise?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Chefs, we've got nine with the head chef.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16'I think Pat was expecting more than that.'
0:30:16 > 0:30:19And we have our own chiller unit.
0:30:19 > 0:30:2330% of what we purchase is either local, organic,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26or is local to the Southeast.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29- It would be nice to have our own veg fridge, wouldn't it? - Yeah, that size, yeah.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31'Rather than from a chiller,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35'most of Pat's vegetables come from a freezer.'
0:30:35 > 0:30:39This is the pasta boiler we use for our vegetables so they're blanched then taken out.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43- There's nothing worse that overcooked vegetables. - No, there isn't, no.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50OK, this is our chiller and 50% of the milk we use is organic.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55We use free-range eggs as well, because they're much nicer to use.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59- Yeah. - And we use butter for cooking...
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and our patients benefit from that as well.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05So cream goes into our soups.
0:31:05 > 0:31:11At the moment, Pat doesn't use any organic products and all of her eggs come from caged hens.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16We don't use any of the tinned or powder soups because they're just
0:31:16 > 0:31:18flavoured water really,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21there's no value in those at all, absolute waste of time, yeah.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25- I haven't prompted him to say anything!- No!
0:31:25 > 0:31:29I know you're looking at the packet of margarine, but that's not...
0:31:29 > 0:31:32I was looking at sunflower spread portions at the top there, James.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36It's fine, but the ethos as it is, I think what we, what I wanted you
0:31:36 > 0:31:39to come here and see, particularly with Mike,
0:31:39 > 0:31:41his whole ethos of fresh ingredients.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- Ingredients, yeah.- We can still do it under budget, we can still do that.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49It's just how it works and how we generate other income from other things, to help you out really.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Yeah, yeah.
0:31:52 > 0:31:58'The food we've seen in the kitchen is impressive, but how impressed are the patients?'
0:31:58 > 0:32:02- Hello, guys, how are you? - Good, thank you.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05You are looking surprisingly fit and healthy, look at you all.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08- We're all here.- Now, tell me a little about the food here.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Now if I mention hospitals and food,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- everybody just looks at me with this blank expression. - Not here, it's the best.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18You have been in other hospitals before. How does this place differ to the others?
0:32:18 > 0:32:24- It's fresh, good variety, if you don't want what you've asked for they change it.- Yeah.- You know, very good.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26- It's just like real food.- Yes.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Real food, as in food that you would cook at home?
0:32:29 > 0:32:34Yeah. Well, yeah, food that you'd cook at home, food that you would probably be happy to pay for.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36What I'm trying to do, they've got,
0:32:36 > 0:32:38what they've got is a three week menu cycle.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41My argument is you can't remember what you had last Tuesday.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43No.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45- No.- But would it really matter to you whether the menu,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48same dish was once every three weeks, two weeks, one week?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Not really because there's a choice of three or four things
0:32:51 > 0:32:54so you don't have to have the same thing every Monday.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- You'd probably appreciate to have something that you'd liked again. - Yeah.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00You'd remember that, you'd say, "Oh, that was nice, I'll have that again."
0:33:02 > 0:33:06'The hospital kitchen also supplies food to the on-site restaurant
0:33:06 > 0:33:09'which generates a very healthy income stream.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14'It has more than doubled in the last ten years to a staggering £1.2 million,
0:33:14 > 0:33:19'and any profit it generates goes straight back into the kitchens.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'Something that's definitely worth looking at, at Scarborough.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26'The food here looks amazing but does it really live up to its reputation?'
0:33:26 > 0:33:30But that looks absolutely gorgeous and I'm going to dive into my Welsh lamb.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33And I'm going to put my butter on my bread.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36How many have you got?
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Three. He's done that on purpose.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41- I have paid for it. - He's done that on purpose.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43But you must get people come in here
0:33:43 > 0:33:47- to eat though.- Yeah, we try and encourage as many people in Chelsea
0:33:47 > 0:33:50to come here because it's taxpayers' money, you know?
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Yeah, and at the end of the day the more customers you get, the better profit you make.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Asparagus soup.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Oh, that's gorgeous.
0:34:00 > 0:34:06Today's made me feel like we do need to change a few things, even though we do get positive feedback at the
0:34:06 > 0:34:09hospital, but we could make that even better, improve things more.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12So, yeah, I'd like to turn the menus round a little bit.
0:34:12 > 0:34:19We both had the same patient meal cost so it was interesting to see what he was using.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23There's things that we can change on our menu, virtually instantly.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26The staff menus were quite intriguing really
0:34:26 > 0:34:31and they had the show with the chef carving the meat and whatever.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33That was lovely to see
0:34:33 > 0:34:36and we'd love to do something spectacular like that at Scarborough.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47'Inspired by a trip to the Royal Brompton, I think Scarborough is
0:34:47 > 0:34:50'really missing a trick with its own restaurant.
0:34:50 > 0:34:56'It caters for both staff and visitors but, at the moment, it's not attracting many customers.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02,Only around 25% of staff actually eat here and most visitors don't even know it's open to the public.'
0:35:04 > 0:35:07There are no signs advertising anywhere to go,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10so I presumed there wasn't anywhere.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15If I knew what was on the menu, cost,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17and where it was.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21A lot of us do tend to go over to the baguette shop because you get more of a selection, the
0:35:21 > 0:35:25baguettes are a lot nicer than normal plain sandwiches now and again, so.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29'A high number of staff use a local baguette shop instead of
0:35:29 > 0:35:32'spending their money here in the hospital restaurant.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36'But I think with simple marketing and providing the staff and visitors with a better choice,
0:35:36 > 0:35:43'by my calculations, the hospital restaurant could potentially make £1,500 per day.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49'I just need to persuade Pat and her boss Richard Vincent, to consider some changes.'
0:35:49 > 0:35:51If I put a big blackboard there,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55with "daily" put it with chalk on there,
0:35:55 > 0:35:59you can have a lovely tureen of soup in the background, home-made soup.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00And we'd address this salad bar.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- Yeah.- And let's go for stuff like couscous salads.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06- Yeah.- You know we'll spice up the couscous salads.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07And what I'd like to do on here,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10I'd like to do a roast every day. Are you happy with that?
0:36:10 > 0:36:14I like the idea of a carved roast cos I think it's a show piece, yes,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16I think that's really, really nice.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19This then becomes a restaurant,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23it doesn't become just a place for staff to eat.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25It becomes somewhere that,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29because I believe this is probably the only place that we've got to generate
0:36:29 > 0:36:32- a good income.- Yeah, yeah.
0:36:32 > 0:36:38'The food that's served here is the same as the patient's menu, but does it taste better?'
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Well, there we go, I've had my lunch and...
0:36:42 > 0:36:45yeah, it's what I expected really, I suppose.
0:36:45 > 0:36:51'A simple baked potato with packet sauces is hardly a meal.'
0:36:51 > 0:36:53The dessert, I was really looking forward to that cherry Bakewell
0:36:53 > 0:36:57and then they smothered it with this sort of glow-in-the-dark custard with the skin on it.
0:36:57 > 0:37:03This really is a shop window for everything that we do and progress forward, and it's the only place
0:37:03 > 0:37:09where we can generate income, to get the equipment fixed, to serve better food and everything else.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12So we've got to make this look a little bit more appetising than what it is here.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16And then, let's face it, to have a restaurant that's named after a
0:37:16 > 0:37:20hair-lipped Viking is not really a good start, is it really?
0:37:24 > 0:37:27'I've spent a couple of days at Scarborough General Hospital
0:37:27 > 0:37:31'and it's now becoming clear to me which issues need to be addressed.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36'There's a complicated and inefficient menu system.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39'Far too much food is being thrown into the bin.'
0:37:39 > 0:37:43- And once you've done this...- Yes? - ..what happens to all this lot?
0:37:43 > 0:37:44Thrown away.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Whatever's left is thrown away.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51'Not enough local seasonal produce making it on to the menus.'
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Everything's out of a tin, everything's out of a packet -
0:37:54 > 0:37:56everything. All the veg are frozen.
0:37:56 > 0:38:02'And with the limited budget to work with, we really need to create our own revenue stream.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:07I believe this is probably the only place that we've got to generate a good income.
0:38:07 > 0:38:12'I've come up with my five point plan which I hope will lead to change.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14'Simplify and improve the menu.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18'Reduce wastage. Win the hearts and minds of those on the front line,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20'cook with fresh ingredients from
0:38:20 > 0:38:24'local suppliers and generate an income from the restaurant.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27'But I still feel that Pat is apprehensive,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29'especially going down to a one week menu cycle.'
0:38:29 > 0:38:34How has it gone down with the staff, or haven't you told them yet?
0:38:34 > 0:38:37I've discussed it with Sharon.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38- Right.- Head chef.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40How does she feel?
0:38:40 > 0:38:45She feels similar to me about going drastic to one week.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48She'd be quite happy to go down to two.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50I still think two's too much.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Can I try and explain this to your staff, where I'm coming from?
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- Yes, OK.- Right, let me try and explain it.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04The first thing I walked in here, you guys are doing an unbelievable job.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08The amount of people that you serve with the equipment that you've got,
0:39:08 > 0:39:13- it's phenomenal. You've been working for how long in the catering industry?- 30 years.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14- 30 years.- 40.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Going about seven or eight years now.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19So you've got 80 years' experience between you all.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21This is a three week menu cycle that you've had on.
0:39:21 > 0:39:27Now, I know Pat has her reservations over it and I'm pretty sure you probably might do.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Now, what I'm trying to bring to the party
0:39:30 > 0:39:32is that if we reduce the menu cycle down,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34I want to go to a week.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37I don't think that's a good idea, maybe a fortnight,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40but when you've got patients in for several weeks at a time.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Right, right, have you spoken to the patients?
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- No...- Hold on a second.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48You've been here 20 years and you've not spoken to a patient.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52They can't remember... Can you remember what you had last Tuesday?
0:39:52 > 0:39:58- No, probably not.- So what the hell are we doing, putting dishes on and thinking about a three-week cycle?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01The idea is we don't want people coming in here and living in here,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- we want them to get better.- Yeah.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06So they only way we can get better is that medicine's improved, in the
0:40:06 > 0:40:11last 20 years that's the reason why people's stay has shortened.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16Now, I think the food has stayed back 30 years ago.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18How often do you change your three week menus?
0:40:18 > 0:40:22We never do, they haven't been changed for about ten years.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- Yeah about nine, yeah.- Nine years?
0:40:24 > 0:40:30Right, if we keep a weekly menu cycle and change it three times a year we can then get fresh veg.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32We can buy better deals on stuff,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36at a cheaper rate, so you're going to be doing fresh soup.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42- All packet soup's banned.- Yeah, I like the idea of that, actually. - Yeah, and we'll do fresh soup.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44So, why don't we do it? Why don't we try it?
0:40:44 > 0:40:48There are still a substantial amount of people that are in for fortnight, three weeks...
0:40:48 > 0:40:50These people, these people are ill,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53they don't... You're fit and healthy, you're stood upright,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56you might not be when I'm finished with you.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59But you're stood upright and you're telling me that
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- you can remember what you had for the last seven days.- No, probably not.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06So, you're telling me that them lot in there have the same food?
0:41:06 > 0:41:09- I disagree with you.- I probably am stuck in ways.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Cos you've been here 20 years, not once in 20 years have you gone out
0:41:12 > 0:41:16- there and spoken to the customers. - No, I don't get the opportunity.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22- Is that cooking?- No.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26- What do you want? - I want fresh, proper soup, I wouldn't mind doing that whatsoever.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30And if I'm saying to you the only way we can do it is seven days,
0:41:30 > 0:41:31do you want to go there?
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Now, if we go two weeks you use that. What do you want to do?
0:41:34 > 0:41:39I'm all up for a bit of change cos I do think it needs it, when it comes to certain dishes on the menus.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41You were asking me earlier that
0:41:41 > 0:41:46compromise on two weeks. It's gone from that now, it's down to one.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Cos I've slept on it.
0:41:48 > 0:41:49Aye.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52INDISTINCT COMMENT
0:41:54 > 0:41:56I've slept on it.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58It'll be great guys, honest to God, it'll be great.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- Well, you've got my support then. - It'll be great.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05- Convinced?- I'm convinced about the fresh thing and I'm willing to try the weekly thing.
0:42:08 > 0:42:09Now I can go to sleep.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13I haven't said yes yet.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19'Next time, Pat's cupboards come under further scrutiny.'
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Where does that fish come from?
0:42:21 > 0:42:23- Erm.- Don't say the sea.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28'I get to grips with the task in hand and send Pat back to basics.'
0:42:28 > 0:42:30We've got a loose one, Pat, go on.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36'And it's time for the team to face hard facts.'
0:42:36 > 0:42:38But that's...that's the realism
0:42:38 > 0:42:40of what the patients are eating.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Go on, everybody's got to eat it.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd