Private hospitals roll out resort-style menu, as public hospital food does not impress
Private hospital patients are being offered a choice of dishes from a resort-style menu as public patients lament food on offer in the public system.
SA News
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Smoked salmon sushi; prawn dumplings with cauliflower puree and edamame beans; housemade Bircher muesli with chia and flax seed.
It’s not what you might expect on a hospital menu but this is what is being served to patients opting for the private system.
A new menu being rolled out in private hospitals across Adelaide starts with chefs being told to cater for patients like they are guests in a five-star resort. Cue dishes such as pumpkin and Kaffir lime risotto with baby spinach, and lemon pepper fish with grilled asparagus, confit tomato and hollandaise sauce.
The 14-page menu for patients at Healthscope hospitals is now on offer at Flinders Private Hospital and is being rolled out to others including Ashford, Memorial, Parkwynd and Griffith.
The menu — at no extra cost — comes as public system patients describe meals at the $2.4 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital as “disgusting and totally inedible”.
A picture of a meal posted on social media came with the words: “I wouldn’t feed this to my dogs”.
Healthscope head chef John O’Shea said his team has removed bulk-bought frozen sauces and pre-packaged foods, instead ordering fresh produce for the kitchen team to chop, season and cook from scratch every day.
“Good food not only assists in the recovery process, it also lifts people’s spirits and helps their mental and emotional wellbeing,” he said.
“Hospital food can have a bad reputation but we’ve worked really hard to change the negative perception and to get people excited about what they’re being served. We’ve tried to strike a balance between modern dishes and classic comfort food like roast beef with hasselback potato and Yorkshire pudding, to ensure there’s something for everybody.
“We’ve carefully designed meals for those with dietary requirements so they aren’t just being dished up whatever is on-hand — like our vegan zucchini noodles with Mediterranean vegetables and Napoli sauce; or our baked sweet potato with braised Moroccan spiced chickpeas and tahini dressing.”
Adelaide Community Healthcare Alliance chief executive Paul Evans which operates Ashford, Flinders and The Memorial private hospitals said dietitians were integral in menu development.
“The new menu offers our patients a selection of gourmet dishes and powerful ‘superfoods’ that are typically found in cafes and restaurants, as well as home-style meals,” he said.