GOURMET cooking could be on the menu for patients at a hospital next month if new recipes are agreed at a meeting.

Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust is planning to introduce gourmet recipes, a kitchen in every ward, a 24-hour snack service, and main meals served in the evenings.

Corinne Hall, the Trust's director of nursing, said: "We think the changes will mean there will be less wastage and the meals will be healthier for patients because they eat more."

The Trust hopes to intoduce its better food programme by December 31 and will discuss the changes at a meeting on November 28.

Other reforms to be debated include measures to ensure that patients do not have to wait longer than two hours to order their meal. They can currently wait 24 hours to order food, causing problems when they are discharged from hospital.

Mrs Hall said the changes in ordering food will stop food being wasted and added that catering contractor Medirest is experimenting with the leading chef menus.

Food currently costs £1.94 per patient, per day but the new menus and snack services will raise this to £2.50.