Dispatches - Hospital food .. ungrateful?

[Blah11]

I never watched it but will do tomorrow so i can compare


The only thing about our food we REALLY hate is this. We don't have cooks or chefs in the hospital (our hosp is small - 8 wards). The food gets catered in and the kitchen staff reheat things which would be fine but they send us things that don't go AT ALL (like sweet and sour chicken with mash, or cottage pie with more mash ) or send up apple pie and custard as pudding 3 days in a row

 

[highhopes19]

no i dont think patients are being ungratful at all !!

people pay for the NHS out of their taxes, so therefore should get the care they deserve!
i bet if i had to eat that slop they call food for 10 weeks then i would be moaning aswell!! its not even like its was served nice either just chucked on the plate, some of the food in their i wouldnt give to my dog!

people go in hospital to get better not to feel worse because of the crap they dish up!

when my dad was in hospital with cancer the food was apauling, he left with malnutrition lived on ensure suppliment drinks and crackers for nearly a month!

jheez next weeks episode we'll all be saying the people on their are being ungrateful for complaining about the end of life care they recieved

Is that what next week's episode is about then?

yeah i reckon its gonna be a hard one to watch

just the trailor made me feel like thumping that man they way he spoke to a patient who was laying in bed.
the patient didnt have the strength to eat, and one of the staff members was very aggressive in his face basicly saying somthing along the lines of are you stupid dont you speak english, dont you understand english

 

[sequeena]

On the same sort of note is anyone watching Heston's mission impossible tomorrow? The first episode is hospital food in a children's ward

 

[Laura2919]

We had really good food in my hospital!

To be honest, if people don't like the food, there are shops within the hospital, or you could always order in a McDonalds

Mcdonalds dont deliver where I am from so that would be a no no unless you had family and you would have to wait until they came in and the shops in my hospital were shut from 7pm and the hospital didnt have anything else open. I think things could be done to improve it.

Also, when I had Chloe and Jaycee and they were transferred to a NNU near home, sometimes I didnt have dinner so I could stay with them and when the nurses used to say go and have a break and get something to eat I used to walk down to the shop and it be closed so I didnt bother. Shops could also stay open a bit longer.

 

[Blah11]

no i dont think patients are being ungratful at all !!

people pay for the NHS out of their taxes, so therefore should get the care they deserve!
i bet if i had to eat that slop they call food for 10 weeks then i would be moaning aswell!! its not even like its was served nice either just chucked on the plate, some of the food in their i wouldnt give to my dog!

people go in hospital to get better not to feel worse because of the crap they dish up!

when my dad was in hospital with cancer the food was apauling, he left with malnutrition lived on ensure suppliment drinks and crackers for nearly a month!

jheez next weeks episode we'll all be saying the people on their are being ungrateful for complaining about the end of life care they recieved

Is that what next week's episode is about then?

yeah i reckon its gonna be a hard one to watch

just the trailor made me feel like thumping that man they way he spoke to a patient who was laying in bed.
the patient didnt have the strength to eat, and one of the staff members was very aggressive in his face basicly saying somthing along the lines of are you stupid dont you speak english, dont you understand english

sounds horrid

 

[marie73]

This is a personal bug bear of mine....

I really don't think people are being picky. I think it is appalling that the food in hospitals is so bad. Yes, I agree you wouldn't expect a meal to be provided if you were in A&E and had to stay for 10 hours, or if you were admitted for a short stay of say 1-3 nights you might not mind if your sandwich was a bit stale, or the food arrived cold, or it wasn't very tasty.....

....however...there are people who must be in hospitals regularly whether they be young people with chronic conditions which need regular short hospital stays e.g. cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, renal failure with 4 times weekly dialysis etc, who can hopefully maintain adequate nutrition the rest of their time they are outside of hospital and hopefully are able bodied enough to feed themselves. And then there are those who are severely sick and/or elderly or suffering from a loss of mental faculties and are often in for very long stays where all of their daily nutrition for weeks at a time is provided by the meals they receive in hospital. Not only are these often woefully inadequate, but some people are not provided appropriate food e.g. soft foods for those with no teeth, or help to eat them. For people like this (and with an aging population, it is an ever increasing problem) these people are not being picky. Not at all. They deserve food which over a day, over a week, over a month, is nutritious (in line with their needs and dietary requirements e.g. any medical conditions), served fresh and warm, and are given help to consume the food if necessary.

I don't think hospitals should be providing 5* food but I do believe in many cases food should be seen as important as medicine as it is proven those who have good diets eat more, are happier and heal quicker and better which in turn would save the NHS a hell of a lot of money. By feeding patients as we are we are causing malnutrition and in some cases negligent care which contributes to death which spells firstly massive grief, and secondary, massive lawsuits which cripple the NHS further.

I do not think many people would complain about their care in hospitals in terms of medical assistance, but the food is shocking, and more shocking if you have to come to terms with the fact that many people do not have a choice to leave to find other sources of food and have no visitors to provide them with supplementary nutrition.

I think the NHS has a responsibility to provide palatable, simple food served to patients that are given a basic nutritional assessment as to their eating requirements (by which I mean whether they have teeth, can chew, have allergies or conditions such as Chrohns or coeliacs, not whether they like broccoli or not).

It is easy as a healthy person, with working legs, and a support network to see it as unnecessary, but this is not the majority of people who have to eat these meals. It shocks me, and something must be done.

I had the most disgusting roast turkey dinner (not sure how close it had ever been to a turkey!) whilst I was in hospital after having my lo but I had my hubby and family to bring food in for me, get food from cafe etc. but as you say many people don't have that choice. It's a very different situation for people who are not sick and are only having a short hospital stay - the issue must be addressed for those vulnerable people who cannot speak up for themselves.

 

[highhopes19]

But do you really think it's important for them to concerntrate on making food taste fabulous?

My food was lovely in the hospital, however if it wasn't 5* .. i wouldn't really be that bothered as it's not a hotel and i'm not there to be fed up

exactly you said the food you had was lovely, but i bet if you had to eat the food that was on that programme you would not feel the same

no one expects 5* luxury in the food, but a bit of pride and effort would no go a miss!!!

 

[highhopes19]

i agree it should be healthy and edible

but it is free at the end of the day
and you can take your own food!

​

some hospitals you are not allowed to take in your own food, and its not really free it comes out of peoples taxes which is alot so its hardly free as such

 

[blahblahblah]

I never watched it but will do tomorrow so i can compare


The only thing about our food we REALLY hate is this. We don't have cooks or chefs in the hospital (our hosp is small - 8 wards). The food gets catered in and the kitchen staff reheat things which would be fine but they send us things that don't go AT ALL (like sweet and sour chicken with mash, or cottage pie with more mash ) or send up apple pie and custard as pudding 3 days in a row

Sounds familiar. My friend was in hospital a few weeks ago, and was served up omelette, mashed potato and carrots That was the first of many delights, including unidentifiable brown meat mush with soggy garlic bread and cold marrowfat peas

 

[v2007]

Just watched it, tbh i think the standard of food is the least of the NHS's problems.

But the patients there need to be fed and the food should at least be of some quality.

V xxx

 

[Blah11]

Our kitchen staff are mostly polish guys for some reason so dunno if its a cultural thing and they dont know what goes together or something

 

[lesleyann]

i think the food is discusting here *not watched the show just from our brand spanking new hospital with new kitchen staff* between me and a girl on our ward we tried every meal/pudding between us and nothing tasted remotely like what it should of done or ever looked or smelt like it would taste good. the menu looks oh yeah soem nice food but when it turned up made me feel sick so i barely ate while i was in there. Something needs to be done not 5* meals but something edable would be nice

 

[EternalRose]

I dont agree, Im watching it on catch up at the moment. As someone who has had nurse training. I know too well the importance of 'highly' nutritional meals for sick patients. If you give patients sub standard food, they get sicker and stay in the hospital longer. You also need 4000 calories a day for a wound to heal properly. Go figure. Why the nhs hasnt sorted this out I dont know, its quite simple really. I have seen patients literally waste away in front of my eyes because either the food is so appaling you wouldnt feed it to your dog, or literally they just 'ran' out of the food the patient wanted. The AMOUNT of times i have had to call the kitchen and literally beg someone to flippin cook something because " What the hell am I supposed to tell my patients?" Sorry, I know your dying, but your also not going to eat today either? Its absolutely disgusting IMO.

 

[Blah11]

^ Eeek.

Never had that problem tbh, although we do have loads of waste which just goes in the bin ie money down the drain. Loads of supplements and extras get refused too.

 

[aob1013]

But do you really think it's important for them to concerntrate on making food taste fabulous?

My food was lovely in the hospital, however if it wasn't 5* .. i wouldn't really be that bothered as it's not a hotel and i'm not there to be fed up

Them? Well not if it was the nurses qualified to care for people but it's not people are employed and paid to cook for the in-patients.

Food is important whist I don't expect 5 star I expect something that looks like it can be eaten and that is not always the way.

I mean't 'them' generally, not specific people I.E nurses, cooks, etc.

I totally agree that food needs to be at least edible. BUT I find it rather ungrateful that there's been a TV doc moaning about it!

 

[smokey]

Problem I find with these sort of shows is they use the worst case examples to try and make a point.
I used to work in the kitchens for a hospital and the food was fine there, no it wasnt resturant cuisin but what do you expect from a service thats not funded by private medical funds.
I even used to take dinner home for my dad and at the time bf at the end of each shift, they never complained

 

[Blah11]

Looks like another case of the postcode lottery, eh?

 

[pinkbow]

I agree it doesn't need to be 5 star but a lot of people actually leave malnourished due to the crap food. some will be better than others like anything else but i do believe food is a main need in care and getting healthy etc.

So i feel it is important to put a bit more effort in tbh

 

[EternalRose]

I dont think the programme is being portrayed in the right way. If you could see the importance of nutrition on the elderly medical wards i have worked on you would see just how important good meals are. Sometimes mealtimes are the only time of the day that the patient will smile, or come out of their shell. Anyone been institutionalised before? You should see how withdrawn and thin some patients get that are in-patients for months! I used to come home and feel so frustrated that I was not doing my job properly. I literally felt embarrassed! On Childrens wards, I would be serving up alphabet potato bites, and nuggets for terminally SICK children!! I did academic research on the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool that they use in hospitals and I completely ripped it apart. Its a useless tool, I could not care for my patients properly and expect them to heal when I was serving up such poor nutrition. Patients need highly nutritious meals to heal. It is so so simple, but the NHS are not getting it and i really think that it could SOLVE a hell of a lot of problems. i.e less staffing needs, because the wards are not full to capacity, more patients being discharged home , leading to more chance of rehabilitation. How can anyone think that good nutritious meals is not an important factor?

 

[lemily]

I dont think the programme is being portrayed in the right way. If you could see the importance of nutrition on the elderly medical wards i have worked on you would see just how important good meals are. Sometimes mealtimes are the only time of the day that the patient will smile, or come out of their shell. Anyone been institutionalised before? You should see how withdrawn and thin some patients get that are in-patients for months! I used to come home and feel so frustrated that I was not doing my job properly. I literally felt embarrassed! On Childrens wards, I would be serving up alphabet potato bites, and nuggets for terminally SICK children!! I did academic research on the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool that they use in hospitals and I completely ripped it apart. Its a useless tool, I could not care for my patients properly and expect them to heal when I was serving up such poor nutrition. Patients need highly nutritious meals to heal. It is so so simple, but the NHS are not getting it and i really think that it could SOLVE a hell of a lot of problems. i.e less staffing needs, because the wards are not full to capacity, more patients being discharged home , leading to more chance of rehabilitation. How can anyone think that good nutritious meals is not an important factor?

Exactly this. I agree 100%. Something must be done.