The Healthcare Poland Foundation, together with the Department of Sustainability and Security of the Polish Federation of Hospitals (PFSz), invites you to complete a survey on the real quality, effectiveness and organisation of catering systems in Polish hospitals. The survey is being conducted against the background of current decisions of the Ministry of Health on dietary standards and hospital nutrition, and of the growing evidence that meal quality bears on patient safety, treatment outcomes and length of stay.
The Ministry of Health decisions in context According to the Ministry’s official website (gov.pl/web/zdrowie), uniform standards for patient nutrition will be introduced in every hospital in Poland from 1 January 2026. The draft regulation, which went out to public consultation in June 2025, will replace the pilot programme “A good meal in hospital” and is intended to secure healthy, balanced meals adapted to patients’ clinical condition and prepared in line with current medical knowledge. The key elements of the new standards (based on the November 2025 draft) are set out below.
01
Harmonised norms
Meals must meet nutritional value requirements, including special diets (for example for oncology and diabetes patients).
02
Effect on treatment
The Ministry emphasises that the quality of nutrition bears directly on speed of recovery, reduction of complications and shorter hospital stays — studies indicate that malnutrition affects as many as 30–50% of hospital patients in Poland.
03
Funding and organisation
Hospitals will receive support from the National Health Fund but must adapt their models (in-house kitchens, outsourcing) to the new requirements, which may entail additional costs (estimated at around a 10–20% increase in the catering expenditure structure).
04
Systemic objectives
The new rules promote cost-effectiveness, alignment with ESG principles and with Just Culture in healthcare, with an emphasis on monitoring patient and staff satisfaction.
Why this survey matters The Ministry’s decisions and the ongoing work on nutrition in medical facilities make a diagnosis of the current position a priority. The survey results will allow us to:
- establish the level of catering quality in hospitals against the Ministry’s new standards;
- identify the scope for improving processes and standards, including readiness to implement the harmonised norms from 2026;
- assess models for implementing modern nutrition programmes, taking account of financial and organisational risk;
- identify risks and barriers, such as modernisation costs or the absence of digitalised ordering;
- establish the most needed directions of change — for example a greater role for dietitians (currently below one full-time post per 100 beds in many hospitals);
- develop recommendations for system stakeholders, including the Polish Federation of Hospitals and the Ministry of Health, based on data from more than 500 hospitals (the survey’s target).
The aim is not only to analyse costs and models but, above all, to increase patient satisfaction and safety and to speed recovery through higher-quality meals — in line with the Ministry’s objective of making nutritional quality an integral part of patient safety.
About the survey It has been designed precisely to capture the organisational, economic and quality context, drawing on Ministry data. It comprises 11 sections, including: 🔹 Information about the hospital and its catering model (in-house kitchen, outsourcing, mixed models). 🔹 Catering costs (unit cost, structure, logistics — the average daily cost per patient in Poland is around 20–30 złoty according to the Ministry pilot). 🔹 Nutritional value and norms (dietary standards, the role of dietitians, conformity with the new requirements). 🔹 Organisation and processes (meal distribution, staff, equipment). 🔹 Patient and staff satisfaction (opinions, complaints — the survey examines indicators similar to those in the “Good meal” programme). 🔹 Nutritional quality and recovery (effect on treatment, for example reduction of malnutrition). 🔹 Analysis of risks and readiness for change (digitalisation, modernisation, preparation for the 2026 standards).
Around 35 questions in total, mostly closed — completion takes 5–8 minutes ⭐.
What participants gain
- Access to a summary of the results and a comparison with data from across Poland (aggregated from the survey and benchmarked against Ministry data).
- A Polish Federation of Hospitals report from the Healthcare Poland Foundation, with recommendations tailored to the new standards.
- Support in modernising catering systems in line with cost-effectiveness, ESG and Just Culture.
- The opportunity to shape the recommendations put to the Ministry of Health.
Take part by 12 December 2025. Your view matters for a reliable picture of the situation and for the strategic action that follows.
Complete the survey here: 👉 LINK TO THE SURVEY
Yours faithfully,
Department of Quality, Audit and Certification
Healthcare Poland Foundation
