The changing role of the food service manager

Hospitals Food Service Departments around the world are faced with the need to undergo major change. No longer are the principles of cookery learned from mother and practised at home acceptable for providing the food requirements of a hospital. The Food Service Department budget is often 9-11 percent of the total hospital budget, with half of this expenditure being used for salaries and wages. With the need to provide effective expenditure of this money and at the same time provide the essential nutritional elements for patients, the need for effective organisation, management and staffing has become more pressing.