COMPLAINTS about meals at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire dwindled to just six in December.

The Sentinel received dozens of complaints two years ago when catering giant Sodexo took over the multi-million pound catering contract at the hospital, although official figures have not been released until now.

And the response from patients promoted health bosses to seek improvements.

Now the hospital kitchens have been expanded, allowing most food to be cooked locally instead of being brought in each day from the company's South Wales plant under a cook-chill system.

Director Andrea Green said: "We've improved and in December there were only six complaints out of the 47,000 meals we cooked."