Michael Cooper spent two weeks in Southampton General. Rather than eat the hospital provided food, every day he made his way to the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch and tea. He described the hospital food as “not fit for pigs”.
Both my wife and I had the misfortune to have a stay in the Queen Alexandra (QA) at Portsmouth. The food there is also disgusting. Between us we experienced some sort of Gammon/Ham which was grey in colour, sandwiches where the butter/marge had been applied to the outside of the sandwich and I was not sure what was on the inside. Lets say it didn’t taste like chicken. A rubber omelette and vegetables that had been cooked to within an inch of turning to mush. In general all offerings were totally bland, flavorless.
I understand that when you are not well you have a depressed appetite but surely the purpose of the food should be both to sustain and also to encourage you to eat. My experience is that the food supplied does neither.
Mr Coopers stand and court case success is to be admired but it should not be necessary. We keep hearing about the Jamie Olivers of this world working with the hospital caterers to improve the food supplied to patients. But we also keep hearing that the hospital food revolution is failing along with the other hospital services.
I accept that standards in some NHS hospitals are very good. But doesn’t creating a standard mean that all NHS hospitals should perform to the same level.
It isn’t happening !!!
WrAnTz 