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Publications

The professional hospital caterer moves with the times and the Association is here to ensure that the most up to date information is available. The Hospital Caterer, the official journal of the Hospital Caterers Association is published six times each year. To download or view the latest edition online click one of the button to the right.

A range of other relevant publications are available below. Click on the section to download a PDF version.

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Guidance

Allergen Toolkit for Healthcare Catering

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) and The Association of UK Dietitians (BDA), through its Food Counts! specialist group, have worked together to produce this toolkit that addresses food allergies/intolerances within healthcare catering settings.

Guidance

Care Solutions Guide

A good practical guide which many healthcare caterers may find of use within their hospitals/hospices.

Guidance

Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration 2015–2018

The HCA has been part of a National Strategic Advisory Group that includes representatives from the National Association of Care Caterers, Age UK and the British Dietetic Association. This group has created new guidance launched by NHS England on 'commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration'.

The document outlines why commissioners should make nutrition and hydration a priority; how to tackle the problems; how to assess the impact of commissioned services; how commissioners have begun to tackle the problems; and further resources to help commissioners address the issue.

Guidance

Listeriosis Information for Hospital Caterers During Covid-19 Pandemic

During these challenging times for hospital caterers right now and with the current demand on our services, combined with the effects of the pandemic, this may present increased risks to food safety, particularly as the outbreak progresses.

STS Food Safety have put together some useful tips to help you make sure that we can continue to protect our vulnerable customers from Listeriosis during this time.

Guidance

Dementia assessment and improvement framework

The dementia assessment and improvement framework supports organisational leaders in NHS provider organisations – for example, senior sisters/charge nurses, consultants and allied health professionals (AHPs) – to provide ‘outstanding’ care for people living with dementia during their stay in an acute, community or mental health setting.

Guidance

Dysphagia Diet Food Texture Descriptors

Dysphagia Diet Food Descriptors which have been endorsed by all the relevant groups of the working party are now available and are recommended to be adopted for use by all to reduce the incidents of confusion.

Guidance

HCA Guide to Crohn’s Disease and Menu Idea

A Guide to Crohn's Disease and menu ideas has been produced by the HCA in partnership with For Crohns, a copy of which can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

Guidance

HCA Sample Protected Mealtimes Policy

This sample policy can only ever be a starting point for Trusts and Health Boards. As each healthcare environment is different, this policy would require tailoring to meet the needs of the patient/client group and achieve local ownership.

Guidance

Hospital Catering Solutions Guide

A good practical guide which has been specially developed for caters working within hospitals/hospices. Offers tailored insights, recipes and product solutions for your menus.

Guidance

James Martin – Hospital Blueprint

After working with the catering teams in a number of hospitals James Martins Series Operation Hospital Food, James began to realise that although no two hospitals – or the challenges they face – are the same, there is still a core set of factors which most will typically have in common. So along with the Hospital Caterers Association and many different organisation and individuals he created ‘A Blueprint – for ALL Hospital Caterers to use.

The link below takes you to the website which contains – Menus, Recipes, Restaurant ideas etc

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1BX7n1LgGS9tf1337FxL1M5/hospital-blueprint

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3lNfPTGyGH99mvjKGX0dcZF/partners

Guidance

Nutrition Toolkit for Healthcare Catering – Allergen Labelling

Endorsed by the British Dietetic Association, (BDA Food Services Specialist Group) these Guidelines are a simple and straightforward document that provide clarity around the many demands of food labelling.

The toolkit as simple steps that must be taken in order to comply with the nutrition labelling requirements set out in Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of Food Information to Consumers (EU FIC), due to come into force on the 13th December 2016.

Guidance

Preventing Waste in the Healthcare sector

WRAP and HCA are pleased to announce that we have completed Webcasts that you should use with your teams as a training tool and to generate ideas/debate on how you can reduce WASTE.

Guidance

Menu planning for preventing food waste

Produced by WRAP, the menu planning webcast assists you in reducing the impact of waste, which we are all aware is a key focus for us all. This builds upon the work we did jointly did with WRAP with the screencasts which offer a step-by-step guide enabling hospital caterers to reduce food and associated packaging waste and to recycle more.

This webcast series:

  • gives an overview of waste in the healthcare sector;
  • identifies food waste prevention opportunities;
  • provides advice to help healthcare facilities prevent food waste and realise the associated cost savings; and
  • introduces WRAP’s business support including tools and guidance available under WRAP’s Hospitality and Food Service

Guidance

Simply Puree IDDSI Challenge

A presentation by Simply Puree about the IDDSI challenge.

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