The hospital, operated by Healthscope, announced on Thursday it would roll out a new menu across their 42 hospitals, with St Helen's the first of their mental health facilities to prepare the new menu.

St Helen's Private Hospital general manager Janine Haigh said good gut health was vital in supporting physical and mental health, which the new menu sought to address

"At St Helen's Private Hospital, we know that there is clear research showing how a healthy diet can play an important role in patient recovery from mental health disorders," she said.

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She said the menu on offer from the health facility was something new in the healthcare sector that would directly benefit their patients.

"We are proud to be leading the way in this space and I'm sure our patients will appreciate and benefit from this new offering," she said.

The menu which St Helen's likens to a private dining experience or the specials board at a cafe, includes dishes including a chicken, pumpkin, kale, quinoa poke bowl, prawn dumplings with cauliflower puree and edamame beans and homemade bircher muesli with chia and flaxseed.

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Architect of the new menu, Healthscope executive chef John O'Shea, said the move away from traditional foodservice towards a more refined dining experience was intended to change people's perception of hospital food.

"Hospital food can have a bad reputation, but we've worked really hard to change that perception and to get people excited about what they're being served," he said.

"Nobody wants to be in hospital, but our aim is to make people's time here as comfortable as possible and food plays a big role in that."

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Mr O'Shea said he believed there was a direct correlation between good food, people's mental state and the recovery process.

"Good food not only assists in the recovery process, it also lifts people's spirits and helps their mental and emotional wellbeing," he said.

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