Under the new proposals hospital food would be bought in from a nearby trust.

The trust says the new arrangements would help deliver an improved menu for patients those visiting the Apley Restaurant. The changes would also help ensure that food is prepared closer to the time of service than it is now.

Chris Fisher, Trust Catering Manager, said:

“Our catering staff want to provide great food and this will help them to do this. We are always listening to what our patients, visitors and staff tell us about the service they receive and we continually strive to ensure we deliver a high quality service. We will be talking to staff about these proposals before deciding on the best way to deliver services for the future.

“We are making these changes in response to patient feedback and we will be asking for their views so that we can make sure this new service delivers to their expectations.”

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust says, in recent years it’s become more and more difficult to provide great food at a great price. As a result they have seen lower patient satisfaction in the quality of food, such as through the feedback delivered by the Care Quality Commission’s Inpatient Surveys.

No jobs are under threat from the proposed changes, although it would affect how or where up to ten members of staff work. Staff and their union representatives have been briefed about the planned changes and consultation will begin.