Co-producing an evidence‑informed food manifesto that will shape how Cambridge Children’s Hospital embeds food into care, recovery and wellbeing, creating a whole‑hospital approach that supports healthier, more sustainable and more equitable food environments for children, families, staff and the wider community.
Why is the research needed?
The UK government’s Food Strategy for England recognises the food system as a complex system and identifies ten priority outcomes needed to deliver a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient food environment. Hospitals have a key role in achieving these outcomes by supporting healing and promoting diets that benefit both human and planetary health. National health, wellbeing and obesity priorities, alongside theoretical frameworks that view hospitals as complex adaptive systems, highlight the need for multilevel, holistic “whole‑hospital” approaches to address the complexity of hospital food, its context and its diverse populations.
The new Cambridge Children’s Hospital (CCH) aims to build a fully integrated model of care that brings together physical and mental health to provide the best possible care for children and young people aged 0–19. Currently in the planning stage, the hospital is being co‑designed by clinicians, staff, families and patients.
What are we doing?
The Food, with Care project is a collaboration between clinical staff, academic researchers and experts by experience that is developing a holistic food vision for the hospital, one that reflects the vital role food plays in a child or young person’s recovery, as well as its importance for the wellbeing of the whole family. The project aims to create an integrated, whole‑hospital approach to food that promotes health and sustainability, while recognising that one size does not fit all and valuing diverse, constructive understandings of food and wellbeing. This applies not only to patients and families, but also to hospital staff and the wider networks that support the hospital community.
How are we working with communities, services and organisations?
When food at CCH was first discussed, clinical staff and academic researchers identified the need for a food strategy that goes beyond nutrition and reflects the emotional, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of food.
The Food, with Care project was created to co‑produce a manifesto to underpin the future food strategy, for the hospital. With the hospital still in its planning phase, the project has taken a flexible, iterative, approach, combining engagement with experts by training and experience, synthesis of existing evidence from multiple disciplines and the generation of new data to inform the manifesto’s development.
What will the impact and benefits of this research be?
The expected impacts of the work extend to the health and wellbeing of patients, parents, carers, visitors and staff at the new CCH, as well as to communities across the region, with CCH acting as an anchor organisation and a beacon for public health.
Our manifesto’s chapters are grouped under four pillars: food that meets the nutritional and mental health needs of patients; food that recognises the importance of social connection and is inclusive; food that supports local community health and economic wellbeing through sustainable procurement; and food that is grounded in patient and public involvement and informed by the latest research.
What do we have planned for knowledge mobilisation and implementation?
The aim is for the Food, with Care manifesto to underpin and inform CCH’s future food strategy. To support this, we are working with colleagues within and beyond CCH to build engagement with the project and strengthen support for the manifesto’s vision. The project has already influenced the hospital’s building design and contributed to the Full Business Case.
Related papers, outputs and resources
Read the related Cambridge University Hospitals article
- Talk at Child and Teen Consumption, London, April 2026
- Talk at British Sociological Association Annual conference 2025, Manchester, April 2025
- Talk at University of Hertfordshire Impact Symposium, June 2025
Members of Cambridge Children's Network shared their experiences, thoughts and ideas for a short film, which was premiered at the 'Food, with Care' conference. See video below:
Who is involved?
- Rebecca O’Connell, University of Hertfordshire
- Claire Thompson, University of Hertfordshire
- Helen Abnett, University of Hertfordshire
- Lauren Denyer, University of Hertfordshire
- Caroline Heyes, Cambridge University Hospital
- Nancy Bostock, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Parent Advocates, including Sarah Asbury
- Cambridge Children’s Network Youth and Young Adults Forums
- Previously: Emily Barnes, Elena Neri and Marina Buswell
Get in contact
Email Rebecca O’Connell or the project team at r.oconnell2@herts.ac.uk or fwc@herts.ac.uk.
