Södersjukhuset has built its own kitchen where all food is prepared, cooled down and packaged in portions before it is delivered to the care wards. There, patients can order food directly from the ward kitchen around the clock, as the fixed lunch and dinner times have been abolished.
– There are patients who want to eat in the middle of the night when they have woken up after an operation, says Gittan Sandholm, head of the care unit for planned surgery at Södersjukhuset.
Patients choose themselves
The chilled portions have a long shelf life and are adapted to the various needs of a hospital. The patients themselves choose the food they want from a menu, where there are both small and large dishes.
– Food is medicine. It is important that the patients eat properly so that the body can cope with everything in the hospital, says Gittan Sandholm.
Reduced food waste
In five years, food waste at Södersjukhuset has decreased from 79 tonnes per year to 24 tonnes. Interest in the new meal concept has been great.
– I think that almost every region in Sweden has visited us, says Linda Hagdahl who is head of meals at Södersjukhuset.