Dietitian wins Rising Star of the Year award for outstanding work on patient nutrition

The judges at the Healthcare Caterers Association Awards present Kushboo with her award

Kushboo Naik, who works as a dietitian in the catering department, won the award in recognition of her exceptional commitment and outstanding contribution to hospital catering and patient nutrition.

Kush first joined the Trust’s catering department in 2020, taking on a new specialised Senior Catering Dietitian role which has since been recommended in the 2022 National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink.

Since then she has gone on to use her specialist dietary knowledge and skills to provide recipe analysis and advice on menu balance, including for patients on textured modified diets.

Kushboo helping out with food provision at Sheffield Hospitals’ catering facilities

Described as “quietly and determinedly changing perceptions about hospital food”, Kush has used engaging podcasts to train staff on food handling and meal preparation, highlighting considerations such as therapeutic diets and meals which suit all religious and cultural preferences.

Other initiatives she has been actively involved in developing include the launch of pictorial menus for patients with language and/or cognitive impairments, training days for the Trust’s nutrition champions, and the successful installation of additional vending machines across Sheffield Hospitals’ sites. This allow patients, visitors and staff to buy nutritious, healthy drinks and snacks including low sugar drinks 24 hours a day. She is currently developing the Trust’s food and drink strategy.

Kushboo Naik, Senior Catering Dietitian at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am proud to be an advocate for the great work Sheffield Hospitals’ catering team do in providing nutritious and tasty food for patients, staff and visitors. Winning this award recognises the care we take to ensure that our patients are fed safely whilst in hospital, providing them with hearty, comforting food which aids their recovery. Over the last two years I have been able to share my knowledge of nutrition to produce the best outcomes for the people we feed in Sheffield.”

Andrew Jones, Director of Facilities at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are immensely proud that Kush has received this award, which is excellent recognition of her inspiring work. Kush has a fantastic enthusiasm for all things food and an unfaltering commitment to healthcare catering. Her appreciation of food safety and quality in the healthcare environment is exceptional.”

Kush is also part of the British Dietetic Association (BDA), Co-Chair of Love British Food Hospitals working group and will be a key speaker at the HEFMA (Health Estates and Facilities Management Association) conference.