Linda on championing the patient experience

Linda Whitehead champions the patient experience at Manchester Royal Infirmary as Sodexo’s Facilities Matron, following an extensive nursing career. Having first joined the hospital as a student nurse more than 30 years ago, Linda is focused on ensuring Sodexo’s facilities services at the hospital are centred around patients’ positive experiences.

Her work has been recognised with a highly commended Spirit of Sodexo award and she’s also received a coveted British Citizen Award.

Here she explains why she relishes her role as a strong voice for the patient in Sodexo’s hospital catering operation.

“You cannot underestimate the importance of food in hospital care,” said Linda. 

“Making meals edible and appealing is about far more than just ticking a box; it is fundamental to patient care and rehabilitation."

“For most of my career I worked as a specialist nurse in cardiology services where I was a clinical nurse leader before this role was replaced by the ‘modern’ Matron. Matrons are responsible for many aspects of running the day-to-day operation in hospitals. It was my job to ensure hospital wards were clean; patients were properly nourished; budgets were correct; staff had the right training; infection controls were all in place, and standards of care were maintained across the wards. 

“Eventually I felt I’d reached a plateau in my nursing career, and I wanted to keep learning. So when I was offered what was originally a two-year secondment with Sodexo, it was just the challenge I needed. I was originally assigned to Sodexo because the Manchester Hospital Trust wanted to improve its patient scores and introducing the role of Facilities Matron created a stronger focus on the patient dining experience and overall support to the nursing team.

“Healthcare catering is different because of the vital role it plays in the patient’s recovery. When a patient leaves hospital, they don’t necessarily tell their families about the wonderful nursing or the fantastic doctors – but they will always talk about the food!

“Hospital food must be tasty and attractive, so patients want to eat their meals. It’s not all about meeting targets. Attractive and tasty meals are more likely to be eaten and this nutrition is vital to help maintain muscle mass and energy levels which, in turn, improve mobility. 

“At my meetings with the Sodexo manager, I tell it how it is. I know a calorie is a calorie and it needs to be in their bodies to give patients the energy they need to get better.

“The last two years have been particularly challenging. I had moved permanently over to Sodexo as Facilities Matron at the end of 2019, just a couple of months before Covid hit and everything changed. My role has become about more than food; it’s about looking after the welfare of all Sodexo’s teams on site. At the start of the pandemic, I went back onto the wards as a nurse for six weeks, and through my experience I have been able to reassure our team members about their safety and talk to them about the importance of correct PPE and cleaning standards. I liaise with infection control nurses and work to ensure cleaning standards are exceeded, becoming a point of contact between the wards and the FM team.

“I think my role of Facilities Matron has made a difference. There are now Sodexo Matrons employed at other hospital campuses and we keep in contact to share our experiences and practices."

“The two most important aspects of nursing care are ensuring medication is provided correctly and that people eat well. I check feedback provided by the Patient Experience Score and make sure the catering team understand the importance and impact of their decision-making processes around the food we serve. Patient feedback is taken very seriously – it can make or break a hospital’s reputation.

“What I bring to the table completes the Sodexo team because it improves communication. It’s good when I go and sit at the management table and say: ‘This month the patients are really happy’.”

View the latest Healthcare jobs here