A TASK force has been set up after patients complained to NHS watchdogs about hospital food standards.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Involvement Networks (LINks) received the comments as they visited two wards at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

One of them – ward 73 for patients with bowel and stomach illnesses – has since been moved from its century-old building to the area's state-of-the-art new hospital. The other was ward 19 for patients with broken hips.

The LINk report said: "Food was generally said to be poor with little choice or quality left by the time the trolley reaches the last bay.

"We were told dieticians had done a study of sandwiches and hopefully improvements will be made."

The trust said that 'a catering task force has been established to improve the service'.