VENDING machines which sell hot food have been installed in hospitals in a move to improve the health of staff, patients and visitors.

The machines, which offer affordable and healthy hot meals outside of catering hours, have been introduced in Burnley General Teaching Hospital and Accrington Victoria Hospital.

Food sold in the vending machines includes paninis, chicken nuggets, potato wedges, pasta, curry and other main meal options.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) said 79 per cent of the meals, which were supplied by a company called Bon Appetit, are below 400 calories per portion with less than five grams of saturated fat for every 100g of the meal.

The machines are refrigerated and situated near a microwave and people can purchase the items as in a normal vending machine.

The purchaser then needs to scan the product barcode, put it into the microwave and it heats it for the required amount of time.

The trust purchases the stock from the company and its catering team replenishes and replaces the stock when necessary.

All main meals are less than £3 each with the machines in particular catering for night-shift staff at the hospitals who do not have access to the canteen.

Russ McLean, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Patient Voices Group, said he was ‘overjoyed’ at the implementation of the machines, which he said were introduced after work from his group and ELHT.

Mr McLean said: “The government told all trusts in England that they need to be providing hot food for staff in the evenings.

“I therefore engaged with night staff from all five hospitals and they told me that they wanted access to hot, nutritious food at nights rather than just buying takeaways.

“So to see the machines introduced is something I’m overjoyed about.”

The vending machines will be available 24 hours, seven days a week, with the canteen still open as normal between 8am and 7pm for Burnley and 11.45pm to 1.30pm for Accrington. If the vending machines go down well it is hoped they will be installed at Royal Blackburn Hospital in the future.