St John of God Health Care is the first private health group to introduce room service catering as a nationwide model.
The switch from standard hospital catering to premium hotel-style room service has not only reduced food waste but also costs.
While a high-end service generally comes at a high price, CEO Bryan Pyne said moving away from traditional hospital food based on set menus and meal times had served up big savings in both production and food costs.
“Hospital food has traditionally had a bad name for being bland, unappealing and served up at rigid times, which leads to lower nutritional intake, wasted food and, most importantly, poor patient experience,” Bryan said.
“It’s an approach which doesn’t match our patient-centred style of care or allow flexibility for patients who may have just given birth, woken up from surgery or had cancer treatment.
“A major bonus of the change is the positive impact it’s had on both costs and food waste.
“This change has also had a significant positive sustainability outcome, reducing food waste by 24 per cent in the 2024 financial year.
“As an added benefit we anticipate annual cost savings of around $5.4 million on both food and production costs.”