The initiative offers hospital clinical staff the opportunity to enhance their understanding of clinical nutrition ‘through practical, evidence-based learning through five modules which have been developed blending nutrition, health, and culinary expertise, covering critical topics’. The online education programme will comprise five modules, all contributing to clinicians’ CPD:
- Nutrition’s role in health: exploring the impact of food on health maintenance and disease prevention.
- Culinary skills: equipping professionals with practical cooking techniques to provide ‘culturally sensitive’ nutrition advice.
- Nutrition for healthcare professionals: focusing on the importance of self-nutrition and wellbeing for healthcare workers.
- Undernutrition: addressing the challenges and management of malnutrition in clinical settings.
- Introduction to motivational interviewing: enhancing communication skills to support patient behaviour change regarding dietary habits
Further modules are available in addition to the five-core set. Through the Sodexo and Culinary Medicine partnership, on-site training will also be available if the hospital prefers face-to-face training for its frontline teams.
Simon Lilley, director of Strategy and Marketing at Sodexo Health & Care (pictured right, with Dr Sumi Baruah, CEO of Culinary Medicine UK) said: “Malnutrition affects up to 50% of hospital inpatients, leading to longer hospital stays and increased healthcare costs. Nutrition is fundamental to patient-centred care, supporting physical recovery, mental health, and long-term disease prevention. Through our partnership with Culinary Medicine UK, we are empowering healthcare professionals with comprehensive nutrition education, which will enhance patient outcomes by equipping them with valuable tools to integrate nutrition into daily care routines and support their own wellbeing.
“We are opening this up to the whole market. Hospitals do not need to have Sodexo provide their patient food to be able to take advantage of this education programme.”
The new initiative is endorsed and encouraged by NHS England. Phil Shelley, NHSE’s Senior Operational manager and National lead for Net Zero Food, added: “By providing healthcare professionals with practical nutrition education, we can improve patient outcomes. This partnership promotes a holistic approach to healthcare by integrating culinary skills with medical knowledge, enabling professionals to provide sensitive, person-centred care tailored to individual patient needs.”