Soil Association offers NHS trusts CQUIN support
The Soil Association's Food for Life Hospital Leaders Programme is offering a support package to help NHS trusts meet the requirements of the new Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN).
The first actions of the NHS Staff Health and Wellbeing CQUIN are required by July this year. The package will help hospitals understand their current position in relation to food and drink provision.
It will also provide tools to make the necessary changes to meet the requirements.
Dr Susannah McWilliams, Hospital Leaders Programme manager, Food for Life said: "Food for Life is committed to ensuring the food offered by hospitals makes a positive contribution to a health promoting environment.
"Our Hospital Leaders programme builds on the work already being done by the Food for Life Catering Mark in hospitals throughout the country."
She added: "The CQUIN support package has been designed to help Trusts unlock the benefits of the new NHS Staff Health and Wellbeing CQUIN, both in terms of staff health and wellbeing and financial incentives."
Over the past six years, the Soil Association's Food for Life Catering Mark has supported more than 35 hospitals to achieve a Catering Mark for patient or retail food.
The Food for Life Hospital Leaders programme builds on the work of the Catering Mark, supporting trusts to create a health promoting food environment through a multidisciplinary approach.
The CQUIN outlines four key outcomes around food offered on premises that health care providers must achieve:
• The banning of price promotions on sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt
• The banning of advertisement on NHS premises of sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt
• The banning of sugary drinks and foods high in fat, sugar and salt from checkouts
• Ensuring healthy options are available at any point including for those staff working night shifts
Spend on Red Tractor products tops £40m, says Soil Association >>
Soil Association and Carbon Trust create sustainable catering standard >>
Over half of English primary schools serve Catering Mark food >>
Latest video from The Caterer