MOST hospitals in the region are given high marks today (Friday) in the first ever ‘league tables’ judging the food given to their patients.

Three quarters score more than 90 per cent for the quality of the meals, with two in County Durham - Weardale and Chester-le-Street hospitals – achieving full marks.

But hospitals in the North-East and North Yorkshire do less well for the choice of food on offer, with most given ratings of between 80 and 90 per cent by inspectors.

For example, University Hospital North Durham scored 97.78 per cent for quality, but only 84.21 per cent for choice, with Darlington Memorial Hospital - 95.94 per cent and 87.7 per cent – following the same trend.

And the league tables expose three hospitals falling below the 80 per cent mark for quality or choice, in East Cleveland, York and Scarborough.

They also reveal that the University Hospital of North Tees and the University Hospital Hartlepool do not always serve fruit – one of the key tests.

At the same time, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that hospitals must now abide by new compulsory food standards, to drive up the quality of their meals.

Any that do not follow the rules would be in breach of their “commissioning contract” – leaving themselves open to action by the health regulator.

Mr Hunt said: “We are making the NHS more transparent, giving patients the power to compare food on wards and incentivising hospitals to raise their game.

“Many hospitals are already offering excellent food to their patients and staff. But we want to know that all patients have nourishing and appetising food to help them get well faster and stay healthy.”

The league tables, published on the NHS Choices website, follow inspections by teams of patients, nurses and carers, between March and June.

Experts are concerned that, when a patient is malnourished, it makes recovery more difficult, increases length of stay and can lead to pressure sores and infections.

A panel led by the head of the charity Age UK, and working with royal colleges and nutritional experts, recommended hospitals must:

* Screen patients for malnutrition and give each a food plan.

* Ensure patients get the help they need to eat and drink, including “protected meal times” where appropriate.

* Promote healthy diets for staff and visitors – complying with Government recommendations on salt, saturated fats and sugar.

* Source food in a “sustainable way” - so it is also good for the food industry and bought within the local economy if possible.

The tables measure: quality and choice of food, whether the menu is approved by a dietician, availability of fresh fruit, availability of food between meals, choice at breakfast and the cost of food services.

Every hospital in the region was found to be offering snacks between meals and all their menus had been given the all clear by dieticians.