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How much do you think hospitals should spend on food?
January 16, 2012 at 9:23 am
Following recent articles about the NHS hospital food, we ‘d like to hear your views on NHS hospital food costs.
NHS Hospitals Estates and Facilities statistics 2010-2011 for more than 350 primary care trusts revealed at least 30 trusts spent less than a fiver a day in providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. Typically the main meals consist of starter, main course and dessert, as well as drinks.
16 January, 2012
The lowest spender was the Western Sussex Primary Care Trust which spent a £2.57 a day for three meals.
But the figures which are collected annually also revealed variations in spending per head on food. For instance, Wiltshire Primary Care Trust spent £22.31 per patient per day on food – just under £7.50 per meal and several others spent £10 a day.
NHS figures released in October by data analysts SSentif revealed nine million meals – one in 12 – are thrown away uneaten, with some meals returned untouched.
How much do you think hospitals should spend on food?
Would you be prepared to pay extra for a good quality menu with plenty of choice?
Post your comments below:
© Trio Media 2011
context of nhs consumer of hospital food: spent four weeks in a ward in Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading.
The ward I was in (heygroves) refused to allow patients toast due to the fact that no member of staff was prepared to ‘sign for’ a toaster as they didn’t want to be responsible for it.
the food was varied enough and plentiful enough. especially if you liked mash. which I don’t. Anyway, as a patient who has more obvious physical issues to worry about the food was adequate to good.
I don’t go to hospital for the food so I want variety (to keep my spirits up), taste and nutrition.
the taste wasn’t great, but a dash of hard-to-find salt improved things no end
the ‘no toast’ rule was remarkably depressing.
the nutrition is something I can’t comment on as i’m not an expert.
overall I would say the food was adequate to good. i won’t be issuing any complaints. unlike the quality of some of the nursing in this ward.
hope this helps the survey.
a.l.
ps
no, I would not pay for better food if it was offered. this is not a ‘choice’ that a ‘free’ nhs service should need to provide, now is it??
and wiltshire are providing meals for how much per person??! investigate! investigate!
Twitter comment from @SonyaLouise434: The food in the Ayurveda Hospital is really good, healthy vegetarian food. These are funny little…
http://sonyalouise.tumblr.com/post/16056248759/the-food-in-the-ayurveda-hospital-is-really-good
I am actually in hospital now, the Nuffield in Plymouth and although today is the first day I have felt like eating, the food so far is of the highest quality, unfortunately I have wasted some but intend to make up for it!! The menus offer a large variety of meals for all types with the appropriate codes alongside , all nutritional and dietary requirements catered for.
I cannot speak highly enough of the standard and variety.
The key reason hospital food is (generally) abysmal is nothing to do with ingredients or menus or chefs skills, but the logistics. It’s all very well a Jamie Oliver alike standing over the hob tasting some smashing hand made dish…. he’s not getting the version that’s been cooked in batches of 1000, left standing around in the ban marie for an hour while the rest of the menu options are cooked, loaded into a heated trolly, trailed half a mile across the hospital, then sat round for another half hour on the heated trolley while the dishing out rounds are done.
After all of this even the most “aldente” organic, locally sourced, french bean is an unrecognizable soggy mush, sauces are congealed and all meat is like rubber. BUT the only alternatives I’m afraid are too expensive to even consider.
I attended the new Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham about 18 months ago for a day (8.30 to 4.00) of tests which were being carried out for the Medical Research Council. I was promised that I would be given breakfast and lunch – I was not ill and this research was being funded by an outside source at great cost. No wonder sick people leaver hospital sicker than when they were admitted, the food was a dietian’s nightmare. Toast, only white bread, for breakfast (I’d been fasting for over 12 hours) with a scrape of the cheapest margarine imaginable, the tea was so strong it was undrinkable. Lunch was a sandwich of thick white bread and although I was told it had ham in it, it had probably only stood near a slice of ham at some point, more ghastly tea, no fruit, but I was told I could have a doughnut.What a shambles! I had asked for a salad and was looked at as if I wanted caviar. I was doing the MRC a favour and went home feeling dehydrated and very tired. I wouldn’t do it again.
I am sorry you have had this experience but badley it is typicall. The NHS is a hypocrit, ( nothing personal about the peoplewho work in it who are usually very helpful). The NHS should be providing best care for their clients. Unfortunately they seem to think they are a charity.. They are not; we have being paying their salaries all or working life and continue to do so. The management neeeds to know this and realise that we are their boss.
I had an overnight stay at The Ridgeway hospital Wroughton Nr Swindon. The breakfast tray was beautifully presented and the food was delicious. Added to that the chef visited me and asked if I was staying for lunch. I was so tempted by the menu but there was no medical reason for me to stay any longer so I declined the offer and went home to have a home made sandwich!
I haven’t experienced nhs hospital food yet so am unable go comment on it but I believe that The Great Western Hospital here in Swindon make a great deal of effort to provide decent food for patients
If I am staying in a private hospital, which is what PPP is all about, then I would not to expect to pay any extra money for better quality food
Yes I would certainy be prepared to pay for my hospital food; after all I would be paying for it if I were not in hospital.
If I am staying a private hospital, which is what I pay my PPP subscription for then I would not expect to pay any extra money for better quality food.
I agree. If you are with PPP you should be receiving excellent care and it is up to you what you choose to eat.
No -one whether private or not should be required to pay extra for good nutrition. No rubbish foods please eg for a start white bread.
Last year spent time in Bristol Heart Institute, excellent food and care excellent both medically and auxillary. Really concerned and attentive to your progress and care. Transferred to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, food poor quality, care as best as staff were able to give; not enough staff and not so dedicated in cases.
Bristol Heart Institute were exceptional and took every care to promote your health and well-being.
I spent five weeks in Glan Clwyd hospital last September/ October after an operation for a ruptured appedix. The food was truly appalling! The first day, not feeling to good, I ordered Cream of Chicken soup. Can’t REALLY go wrong with that I thought. Wrong! By the time I received it, only two or three minutes after it arrived on the ward, it had SET!, There was so much thickening agent in it it was inedible. The pieces of chicken, which it purported to contain were clearly plastic. During the five subsequent weeks the food never improved. As a famous food critic recently said ‘No one can eat NHS food. They WILL die!
About a year ago I had a baby by c section and was in for 5 days the food in ashford hospital Kent was terrible. I was a breast feeding mum with a baby in special care. I was always hungry. Only cereal for breakfast a warm lunch but not enough to fill my 10 year old and just a sandwich for tea. Yes I think hospital food needs a complete looking into.
The Western Sussex NHS Trust may only spend £2.71 a day on food, but as a regular patient to St Richard`s Hospital Chichester food is served HOT and plentiful, they cut costs by bying in per prepared food ,cutting down on expensive chefs. If all NHS trust copied Western Sussex food would be excellent nationwide.
I spent 6 days four years ago in a private room after an accident curtesy of PPP, in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the room was dreadful, it required a total refit, the food was even worse, I lived on tea and biscuits for the six days. The only great thing was the nursing staff, they were five star, as were the Doctors. If I remember correctly, PPP were charged £400 per day plus extras, I would not wish to repeat the experience.
Having recently been in hospital for a hip op. food was excellent but too much of it as we were inactive so that is not healthy. I limited myself to what was needed but not everyone will. However there was a very bad gap between dinner at night — around 6 pm — and nothing until breakfast until 8-9am the folliwing morning which is far too big a gap. However gap between lunch and dinner was only four hours and two big meals so close are not healthy when one is not active. Also – against all guide lines for good health, only white bread and processed food which we are all warned to avoid, so what are they playing at? No, dont answer because if you have any common sense you will know already,
I had an operation for Liver Cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on the 14/11/2011. The food was of the very highest standard and the choice was second to none. You would not have got better food in a top class hotel. The problem people face is that when you have just had an operation it takes quite a time to get your appitite back to normal,by that time most people are discharged and well enough to go home.
I spent 6 days in Northampton General Hospital in December 2011. The food was awful. I only had soup. The food assistants scraped 99% of the hot foods into the waste bucket. Loads of choices on menu, in fact to many, it may be better to stick to less choice and make it edible. They have a wonderful cafe there, but the food served in the wards is not the same.
Completely grey Brussels, barely warm, at Northwick Park was probably the worst I have seen.
My problem is food that is too fiddly or hard to cut when you are lying flat on your back with the food above you on the bed table where you cannot see it.
I was in the Royal Shrewsbur Hospital just over three years ago.
The food was excellent – very tasty and well-presented.
When considering the budget they work to it is not surprising the food quality is less than interesting. The NHS is there to provide health care, I would have thought, not gourmet catering. Could never understand why a charge isn’t made with choice of menu values to satisfy most tastes.
I forgot to say Walford Lewis is right about not having an appetite after an operation. At Harpenden the food was alright but I could not face it immediately afterwards. I soon had yoghurts, fruit, Shreddies, fruit juice and other little snacks ferried in by my family.
If the hospital pay more for better food to tempt us there is no certainty that they will manage to give us what we like best.
I have always used Spirecare health Harsstwood hospital in brentwood essex the food was always excelent very good the only thing i have found latly they used to have after noon tea abot 3pm tea &a piece of cake which they have cut.I dont want to pay any extra for the hospital food.
And about the NHS we all knew the food is no good still i dont want to pay more.
Just before Christmas 2011 I had 2 days in Moorfields Eye Hospital (NHS), London. I thought the food was good and plentiful but I did supplement it with salad and fresh fruit which I had taken with me. Two years ago I spent 4 days in Shirley private hospital, Croydon. The food there was especially good, with lots of choices as you might expect with private treatment.