THE Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) café at Poole Hospital has been selected to become a ‘flagship’ Tea & Co outlet by the national charity.

This means the café, in the out-patients area of the hospital, will be redeveloped over the next few weeks.

Eventually it will offer an enhanced menu for NHS staff, visitors and patients, including fresh fruit and health lunch options.

It will also boast a more modern look and extra seating.

Olly Young, retail area manager for RVS in the south, said: “We’re delighted to be developing a Tea & Co at Poole Hospital.

“We have had a long standing relationship with the hospital and the trust and look forward to building on this in the years to come.

“The new-look café will play an important part in providing a wide range of eat-in and on-the-go healthier food and drink choices to hospital staff and visitors. “

Customers can also feel good about their purchase, said Mr Young, knowing funds are being ploughed back into the charity’s ongoing work.

The development at Poole Hospital will mark the sixth Tea & Co to be opened by RVS, with the first opening at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in 2016.

The introduction of Tea & Co is part of RVS’s ‘Healthier Choices Retail Transformation’ programme which saw the launch of the first health-focused dietary specific hospital shop.

Poole Hospital chief operating officer Mark Mould said: “We are delighted with the plans to develop the new café and look forward to it opening later in the summer.

“It will provide a much valued service to our staff and patients and I would like to thank the charity and its volunteers for the enormous contribution they make here at the trust."