Tough plans to improve hospital food

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Poor meals were partly blamed by experts earlier this year for the fact that many patients left hospital without being treated for malnourishment.

Now ministers are consulting on proposals to include the issue in the remit of the Care Quality Commission - which will combine three existing healthcare regulators.

Persistent failure to provide decent food could result in an institution being warned, fined, suspended or even closed down.

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw told the Independent on Sunday: "With waiting times and hospital infection rates falling, the quality of food has not shown as dramatic an increase and there is considerable space for improvement.

"A good, varied diet is all the more important when you are poorly. We want to see more hospitals and care homes emulating the best."

Ministers have been impressed by the improvements in recovery rates seen at hospitals in Cornwall which moved to using locally sourced fresh produce and by the recruitment of leading chefs and the provision of a mainly organic menu at London's Royal Brompton Hospital.