Sophie's Legacy and NHS England announce scheme to ensure parents are fed at hospitals

Sophie’s Legacy, a Fareham based charity, have been collaborating with NHS England to introduce the pilot project which began on Friday, July 26. An initial pilot took place last year with nine hospitals but now a further 15 have added their names to the programme funded by the charity.

NHS England invited hospitals to express their interest in joining the programme with 26 applications being received in return. Of those, 15 were chosen to be given £5,000 each from £75,000 which had been provided by Sophie’s Legacy. The project will last for twelve weeks with each hospital providing at least two meals a day to the parent/carer.

The aim is to provide for the parents basic needs and reduce stress levels, helping them to focus on their child’s care. With provisions in place for the parents it is also hoped they will be able to engage more effectively with medical staff, leading to better decision making regarding treatment options and plans.

Charlotte Fairall, CEO of Sophie’s Legacy, was happy to see the next stage of the project start. She said: “I am pleased we have managed to get this project launched. The impact this will have on thousands of families across the 15 hospitals will be huge. No parent should have to go hungry when they are in hospitals with their child, and we are doing all we can to change this.”

NHS England deputy chief nurse Duncan Burton said: “We’re delighted to have worked with Sophie’s Legacy to support these trusts to provide food for parents. We know it can be an incredibly stressful time for parents and children and this is one way which can improve the experience of parents who are staying with their child in hospital. We are keen to take the learning from the trusts who have joined this programme and share this with others across the country."

With the project started, participating hospitals will have the chance to provide meals in the way that they see appropriate. That could mean providing meals form the hospital menu, offering ready-made meals, or providing vouchers for the hospital restaurant. The hospitals are also required to demonstrate how they will continue to feed parents after the pilot, with the evaluation of the impact of the project potentially enabling them to provide an evidence based argument for future funding.

Sophie’s Legacy was created in memory of Sophie Fairall, who passed away aged 10 in 2021 of a rare form of childhood cancer.