New food monitors at Dunedin Hospital

A meal served to a patient at Dunedin Hospital (Newshub.)
A meal served to a patient at Dunedin Hospital (Newshub.)

The company responsible for Dunedin Hospital's controversial food plans to have posted staff on site to deal with complaints and concerns.

Compass Group New Zealand says it's committed to "delivering a nutritious and quality hospital food service to the people of Dunedin".

There has been a backlash against the food however, with some describing it as slop. One patient said it was more likely to keep you in the hospital for longer.

The two new "patient experience coordinators" will be able to receive immediate feedback from patients.

"We're working in a really complex environment and we have just undergone some significant changes to the menu in early to mid-February," says national development and innovation manager Lauren Scott.

"We fully respect the feedback that we've received, and I guess these roles will help us not only understand that feedback better but also if there are issues with a particular patient's meal, they'll be able to resolve those issues immediately."

Replacement meals will be provided those patients who have issues with the food.

The coordinators will be going through the wards before, during and after lunch and dinner services on a four-week trial, then reviewed.

There will also be monitors at Southland Hospital.

Issues around presentation and the food trolleys have already been reviewed, with the trolleys being fixed to prevent overheating or underheating.

Ms Scott says bumps in the road were expected, and Compass is committed to resolve them.

"We do believe the food that we provide is good quality," she says.

Compass has been supplying meals to District Health Boards around the country for 29 years.

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