Freedom of Information Request – Ref: FOI 112-2025
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.
You asked:
1. Have you undertaken an Equality Impact Assessment for vegans at the NHS? If yes, can you provide a copy of the assessment?
Our response:
Yes, we have an Equality Impact Assessment that covers the protected characteristic of religion or belief.
Please see the Equality Impact Assessment on the links below:
You asked:
2. Are you following your public sector equality duty toward vegans? Please provide any documents or information to explain whether and how the PSED is being followed towards vegans.
Our response:
Yes, we have an Equality Impact Assessment that covers the protected characteristic of religion or belief.
Please see the Equality Impact Assessment on the links above.
You asked:
3. Do you guarantee a full vegan option that is nutritionally appropriate on all NHS menus and cafeterias at all times, for all meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options. By ‘guaranteed’ I mean, is there always a fully vegan option available.
For clarity, a salad without a plant-based protein and starch or carbohydrate would obviously not be nutritionally appropriate, nor would having only fruit or toast with jam available for a vegan person. For example, many vegetarian options adapted to be vegan would not be nutritionally appropriate as they would be lacking in protein unless there was a substitution provided.
Our response:
Yes, there are vegan options available for patients on all inpatient wards covering breakfasts, lunch, supper and snacks.
You asked:
4. Do you guarantee plant milk availability on all NHS campuses for coffee and tea? For clarity, plant milk refers to: soy, oat, almond, or coconut milk.
Our response:
Plant milk is available to patients on all inpatient wards.
Next steps:
Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:
Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.