Food and Drink in Hospital

Protected Mealtimes

NHS Tayside operates a Protected Meal Times policy, and visitors are asked to comply with this at all meal times. if your relative is used to you helping them to eat and drink and you wish to be able to do this when your relative is in hospital, please speak to the senior charge nurse as soon as you can, so that the nursing staff will know to allow you to stay.

For the benefit of patients and visitors a leaflet about our board policies Food, Fluid and Nutritional Care in Hospitals, and protected Meal Times is available in every ward.

We also have an audio version and a downloadable version below.

If you have a planned admission it would be helpful if you could advise the ward in advance if you have any special therapeutic dietary needs e.g. a gluten free diet.

Bringing Food Into Hospital

Patients and their visitors are not allowed to bring any of the following foods into the hospital wards:

  • Cooked meats and meat products
  • Fish paste and fish products
  • Fresh or synthetic cream or cream products
  • Shell eggs
  • Take-away type meals
  • Any alcoholic drinks


Provided that the patient's diet allows, the following items may be brought into hospital by the patient/relative/visitor:
  • Pre-wrapped biscuits
  • Fresh and dried fruit
  • Bottled or canned drinks of a non-alcoholic nature
  • Individual cartons of fresh fruit juice
  • Yoghurts - to be refrigerated and labelled with date brought to hospital and patient's name
  • Sweets and chocolates
  • Crisps, nuts, crackers
  • Cereal bars e.g. Nutrigrain
  • Individual pre-packed cakes e.g. muffins (no cream)

HM Queen Elizabeth II black and white
NHS Tayside Logo White
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

1926 - 2022