The experience of eating and dining for patients and their families is core to the Cambridge Children’s Hospital vision for holistic care. As we continue to develop our plans, a study has revealed that social dining in hospital positively impacts children.
The research and clinical team working on the development of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital ‘Food, with Care’ manifesto have authored an article which shows eating together in hospital could have a range of benefits for children’s health and wellbeing. The paper, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, looks at existing academic research and evidence on social eating in hospitals among patients, including children and young people. In addition, the team have gathered new data from a survey about food in hospital, which was completed by 120 children, young people, parents and carers.
Evidence reviewed highlighted:
- Dining spaces that give young people the chance to socialise, like at school or college, could alleviate feelings of loneliness and boredom.
- A ‘home from home’ experience could be created through parents bringing in home-cooked meals and families eating together in hospital.
- Aesthetic objects, such as tablecloths and flowers, as well as staff engaging with patients, could create welcoming social dining spaces.
- Eating in a dining area could be a nice change of scenery and could benefit patients’ mental health.
- Most research showed social eating in hospitals significantly increased dietary intake and nutritional outcomes, improving patient wellbeing and satisfaction.
Lead author Emily Barnes from the University of Hertfordshire and part of the team working on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital ‘Food, with Care’ manifesto, said social dining in a hospital setting should include environmental and sensory considerations, consider the diversity and complexity of patient needs, and recognise that outcomes of eating with others will depend on who patients are eating with, and the impact of their condition or treatment on the ability to eat.
Opportunities for social dining allow the experience of eating in hospital to feel more normal and have also been shown to promote intake of food. This is especially important in the context of paediatric care, where child growth and development is a significant priority.
Emily Barnes, University of Hertfordshire, Lead author of social dining report
Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be the first specialist children’s hospital for the East of England, bringing mental and physical healthcare, and research, under one roof. It brings together the expertise of three partners – Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), and the University of Cambridge.
At The Croft and The Darwin, CPFT’s child and adolescent mental health inpatient units in Fulbourn, there is already a social dining ethos, with patients, parents and staff encouraged to eat together.
Consultant paediatrician Dr Nancy Bostock, who is working on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project and co-authored the report, said it's important to get food in hospital and social dining spaces right.
You can’t underestimate the power of having patients, families, and staff eating together, where possible. It’s not about what they eat, but the experience of being together and recognising that eating is a social and cultural thing to enjoy.
Dr Nancy Bostock, co-author of social dining report
However, some of the evidence gathered in the review, and from the new research with children and parents, suggested social dining doesn’t suit everyone:
- Some children, who had experienced pain with their physical health, including cancer, reported feeling self-conscious during shared mealtimes.
- Some parents were concerned about how neurodiverse children may respond to eating in a strange environment with unusual noises or smells.
- Some children said they would like to eat in a canteen or outlet, but others said they would prefer to eat in their bed.
Rebecca O’Connell, Professor of Food, Families and Society at the University of Hertfordshire and a Researcher at the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England, (opens in a new tab) is leading on the development of the ‘Food, with Care’ manifesto for Cambridge Children’s Hospital. During interviews, she said parents of children with life-limiting conditions highlighted the importance of eating as a family and the therapeutic role of food.
Caroline Heyes, lead dietitian at CUH’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital and co-author of the report, said that creating the right environment for eating can help establish life-long positive relationships with food.
Food plays a vital role in recovery, well-being, and overall patient experience. At Cambridge Children’s Hospital, our fresh-cook kitchens, ward pantries, and inviting dining spaces will support every child in receiving the nourishment they need while also fostering the social and emotional connections that make mealtimes enjoyable and fulfilling.
Caroline Heyes, Lead dietitian and co-author of social dining report
- Social Eating Among Child and Adult Hospital Patients (opens in a new tab): A Scoping Review by Emily Barnes, Rebecca O’Connell, Claire Thompson, Jessica Brock, Caroline Heyes and Nancy Bostock
- Food with Care is currently funded by the University of Hertfordshire’s ESRC Impact Acceleration award (UH) and is affiliated to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England. This research was also supported by Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Centre (BRC 1215 20014). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care.