Free meals have been introduced for parents and carers of inpatients at a children’s ward.

Food is now available at no cost for those staying with their tot on Dolphin Ward at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.

Carried out as part of a family-centred approach by the hospital, the children's loved ones are being encouraged to eat with their little ones, or to use their own parents’ room on the ward.

Head of nursing for children’s services at the Medway NHS Foundation, Vidya Pundit-Dermody, came up with the idea after talking to people during her ward rounds.

She discovered some parents and carers hadn’t eaten, or were waiting for a partner, relative or friend to bring food in as they couldn’t afford to purchase a meal.

After then working with the catering team, a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu was introduced.

Available each day, people can choose either the daily dish of the day, or one of the always available main courses - which includes a sandwich, jacket potato with fillings, or a salad.

Vidya explained: “At Medway, we take the health and wellbeing of our parents and carers just as seriously as their child's, and I was keen to ensure that we are at the forefront of being able to provide this initiative for our local community, especially as the hospital is based in a deprived area.

“I began speaking with [our] senior facilities manager for catering, Simon Clark, who was on board with the idea from the beginning and worked with us to make it happen.

“Importantly, by providing parents and carers with a meal it is one less thing for them to have to worry about while their child is with us.

"As well as helping to improve their overall experience during their stay, it also helps to build good relationships between them and our clinicians and ward staff.

"I’m extremely proud of the initiative and very grateful to Simon and the catering team for making it happen.

"It’s been really well received since we launched it a few weeks ago."

The chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, Jayne Black, has been equally as supportive of the idea.

“It’s a worrying time for parents and carers when their child is on a hospital ward," she added.

"Their focus is on caring and looking after their child’s wellbeing, but it’s just as important that they look after themselves too.

"By providing a food menu for them not only does it ensure they are getting the nutrition they need to stay well, but also that they don’t have to leave their child’s bedside - which can be distressing for some children - in order to get a snack or meal.”

The menus are available in each bed space on the children’s ward.

As well as meeting the national work around Sophie’s Legacy – a national campaign to improve children’s hospital services and support for their families, in memory of nine-year-old Sophie Fairall – they also fit the caring domain of health watchdog the Care and Quality Commission's (CQCs) key lines of inquiry, which guide and direct the CQC’s inspections of care services.

The exact costs of the scheme are not yet known, although NHS Medway confirms it will represent a very small percentage of its overall annual patient catering budget for the hospital – in the region of 1%.