FOOD at one North-East hospital will never be the same if chef Mark Thompson gets his way.

Mr Thompson, the former head chef at the De Vere Hotel in Newcastle, has taken on the task of transforming the menu at the private Bupa Hospital in Washington, Wearside.

"The hospital already has a good reputation for its food and hotel services and I hope to build on that," said Mr Thompson, who aims to create the best hospital food in the North-East," he said.

"The standard of meals is an important part of a hospital's reputation and I'm keen to make the food here a match for some of the best local hotels."

Hospital general manager Rod Mason said hospital food used to be ridiculed by comedians, but had come on a long way in recent years.

"Some meals are limited by a patient's dietary requirements, but we also have a lot of visitors coming to the hospital and it makes a good impression if our food is excellent," said Mr Mason.