Death, taxes and budgetary pressures – of life’s certainties, it’s the latter point that’s all too familiar to food service leaders in health care. How to confront those ongoing issues while balancing the bottom line and the need for patients to get the right nutrition? In the words of our clients, the short message is that leaders need to constantly assess their options, be open to fresh solutions, look to collaborative problem solving and never underestimate the positive impact of quality food choices.
Let’s start with that final point. As one of our clients points out, the choice to go with better food quality has meant they can reduce their reliance on supplementation and the associated costs. Furthermore, with that improved food quality they’ve reduced portion
sizes without sacrificing any patient satisfaction. Couple that with a lowered amount of food waste because patients are consuming more of what is given to them, and it affirms how budgets can be better directed. As she says, “Let’s try to push real food first.”
The ongoing issue with making decisions about food is that discussions tend to centre strictly on the financials. Decisions are merely quantified down to the last cent. That prompted one of our clients to plate and bring full breakfast, lunch and dinner trays to meetings so the executives who sometimes had troubles visualizing the food options being discussed could actually better appreciate where costs were directed.
For another client, the budget battleground is clear. “Waste is where to attack it,” she says. “If people aren’t eating it then why are we wasting it?” This calls into question the importance of tracking and gauging which meals need to be shifted off the menu, so food directors have to be observant and ready to change if some options are not working.
Patients will provide a clear indication of what sparks their appetite. Take note, adapt, trial and track.
Not to limit the budgeting discussion, but these are just some of the issues that are on our radar. Care to share some suggestions about how your operation tackles the challenges of budgeting? Where do you get the biggest bang for your buck? We’re eager to hear more.
