Grossman derides the poor quality food in NHS hospitals

Loyd Grossman, the TV presenter leading the Government's attempt to improve NHS food, has found that many patients in British hospitals are malnourished and dehydrated.

In a book to be published on Thursday, Mr Grossman will state that the NHS's current failure to offer enough tasty and nutritious meals is "damning and damaging our society".

As chairman of the Better Hospital Food Panel, Mr Grossman has been asked by Alan Milburn, the health secretary, to oversee a dramatic improvement in the quality and uptake of NHS cuisine.

The NHS Plan calls for 24-hour access to food and drink for patients, an easy-to-read menu and better-tasting dishes using fresher, higher-quality ingredients.

But in his first detailed assessment since taking the post, Mr Grossman warns that the need for urgent action is now overwhelming.

Writing in Foodstuff: Living in An Age of Feast and Famine, which is published by the think tank Demos, he says that it is "surprising" but true that hospital catering isn't at the front line of clinical care.

"The development of drugs and technology has overshadowed the simpler, less glamorous but no less important basics like providing the right sort of food and drink to patients," he says.

"There's the issue of water. Quite simply, NHS patients don't get enough of it and the cost of dehydration is significant. Can we replace those unwieldy jugs of water with something that will encourage patients to drink more?"

The broadcaster blames the size of the NHS, with one million employees and 300 million meals a year, for the slow pace of change.