Our patients may not come here for the food, but a recent survey shows that, overwhelmingly, they are enjoying it once it is served.
The survey was carried out this past summer on our inpatient units and it shows big improvements over the survey carried out just before the Steamplicity foodservice system was launched a year ago.
"These are great results overall and are very encouraging for our staff," says Sheri Campbell, Director of Nutrition Services. "It's important that our patients enjoy our food as much as possible, as proper nutrition is a vital part of their overall recovery process."
The survey took one week to complete and almost 200 patients participated. It measured 16 quality indicators and aims to highlight any opportunities for improvement.
The good news begins right away with the category of 'Overall rating of meals'. The percentage of patients rating our meals as Very Good or Excellent jumped from 17 per cent to 69 per cent. When the rating of Good is included as well, the overall satisfaction rate moves even higher to 88 per cent, up from 63 per cent last time.
Lola Clark is one of our patients on Connell 10. She says she isn't surprised KGH's food is a hit.
"I expected the food to be dull, but I like this menu a lot," she says. "The beef dish is just delicious which is great, as I'm trying to eat meat to make myself strong again."
The survey also breaks down patient satisfaction with each meal. Breakfast, it turns out, scores the highest. Its Good, Very Good or Excellent combined rating moved from 69 per cent to 95 per cent. Lunches moved from 65 per cent to 91 per cent. Dinners moved from 63 per cent to 86 per cent.
The survey also zeroed in on more specific quality indicators. Staff friendliness, dish cleanliness and appearance of meals all received approval ratings of over 95 per cent - a significant improvement.
Patients who completed the survey were also given a chance to share their comments and suggestions. Campbell says this extra feedback is helping her staff identify themes and areas where there may be opportunities for improvement. For example, portion sizes and the texture and taste of some dinner choices are being looked at again.
"Our goal is to be continually improving this important service, so we will be listening closely to patients about menu choices," says Campbell.
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