The BDA is deeply concerned by the outbreak of listeria in a number of NHS hospitals in recent weeks and our thoughts are with those patients and families that have been affected. Any failure in food safety, at any stage of the supply chain, is unacceptable and every effort must be made to ensure that vulnerable patients are kept safe.
We are encouraged by the immediate steps that have been taken by the NHS, Public Health England, the Hospital Caterers Association and the suppliers involved to contain the outbreak. It is also encouraging to see that other catering companies have taken immediate steps to recall products that may have been affected.
We welcome the government’s announcement of a review of food in the NHS as a consequence of this sad event, and stand ready to participate fully. As a core part of hospital nutrition and hydration teams, dietitians play a crucial role in ensuring people have safe and nutritious food to eat, which is appropriate to their needs, while in hospital. We therefore look forward to contributing our expertise to the review in order to ensure any and all lessons are learned and improvements are made to prevent a tragedy such as this occurring again.
The BDA will be writing to both the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS Improvement to offer our full support for the review.
For any inquries please contact the BDA media centre.