01 December 2006
Catering costs in the NHS in Scotland have risen by a third in the past three years, a study by Audit Scotland has found.
In a report published this week, the public spending watchdog said the service spent £73m on catering in hospitals in 2004/05 and employed more than 3,000 staff to produce and serve more than 17 million meals.
The costs show an increase of 33% since Audit Scotland first examined them in November 2003. Costs for food and drinks per patient day were stable.
The report said the rise was largely due to the impact of the low pay agreement, which provided a minimum wage of £5.18 per hour, and changes to the rules for overtime pay.
The report, Catering for patients, said that catering costs in the NHS in Scotland have risen more slowly than other operating costs.
In 2003/04, spending on catering rose by less than inflation — 1.8%. Over the same period, total operating costs for the hospital sector rose by 11.1%.
There were big variations in spending on catering services. Costs per patient varied from £42 in NHS Highland to £280 at the Golden Jubilee Hospital at Clydebank — a former private hospital.
The report said that catering services were improving, with patients having more choice and the NHS getting better at responding to their preferences.
PFdec2006
