MPs call to scrap hospital food deal
TWO MPs are calling for action following complaints about
food at a hospital since its catering contract was
privatised.
Newcastle MP Paul Farrelly has asked University Hospital of
North Staffordshire chief executive Julia Bridgewater if the
deal with catering giant Sodexo can be torn up after
complaints.
And Stoke-on-Trent North MP Joan Walley is disappointed the
hospital ignored her concerns and signed the contract which
involves food being cooked 140 miles away from where it is
served to patients.
Now Ms Walley is calling on officials to urgently restore
public confidence in the complex's food standards by rectifying
the problems since the private firm's take-over from NHS
cooks.
The company prepares the food at its plant in South Wales
before delivering it by lorry to the hospital where it is
warmed in new kitchens.
But Ms Walley said: "It seems plain wrong that when we
should be using local producers and cooking nutritious fresh
food on site, we are bringing in meals from so far away.
"That cannot be good for the hospital's carbon
footprint.
"The trust took no account of my opposition.
"If these are all teething problems, the trust must correct
them immediately to restore public confidence."
Unions sent a catalogue of complaints to the hospital within
days of the contract starting earlier this month.
They included kitchens being too small, meals getting to
wards so late patients had to have hot toast instead, custard
being so thick it had to be served in slices and a ham sandwich
being offered to a Muslim.
Mr Farrelly has said he was called by a constituent in
hospital who talked about a whole ward being 'in rebellion'
over the food.
He said: "I was also told of patients not getting the meals
they had ordered two days before.
"It makes no sense on environmental and health grounds to be
cooking food so far away. From what I have been told and from
comments in The Sentinel, scenes appear to be
chaotic."
In a letter to Ms Bridgewater, Mr Farrelly states: "If, as
it seems, Sodexo is providing a very poor service and not
meeting its contractual obligations, what options are available
to the hospital?"
The trust and Sodexo say the concerns are being taken
seriously. Meanwhile an independent study has found it is less
harmful to the environment to use Sodexo with its one lorry
delivery a day.
The report from the Institute for Environmental
Sustainability and Regeneration at Staffordshire University
concludes carbon emissions are 40 per cent less.
4 Comments
by Warren, Stoke on Trent
Monday, September 01 2008, 2:01PM
“It goes without saying, if you are ill and need to be in hospitel the last thing you need to worry about is "Am I going to get fed, when and will that food be of a high standard". You can not reley on geting a take out or a Tesco butty,or indeed your visters takeing pity on you and bringing food in. At the moment the hospitels within North Staffordshire do not seem to be ensureing this most of basic care. Shame on Sodexo. If this same firm is to take over portering and cleaning, and it is reported that it is, its good help the lot of us.”
by C J, Pipe Gate
Sunday, August 31 2008, 1:35PM
“My son has been in and out of Hospital for the last 11 months after a accident his stay in The Staffordshire University Hospital was great but the food was horrific he has also stayed in the Oswestry Hospital the food was like staying in a top Hotel and The Staffordshire University Hospital could learn from them take my advice Julia Bridgewater and go and visit them.”
by John, Smallthorne
Saturday, August 30 2008, 8:45PM
“I have just spent a week in the hospital myself suffering with severe bleeding from Crohn's disease. The importance of fresh, low inflammatory food cannot be stressed enough. The food that Sodexo is serving up is a horrific concoction of reheated, chemically processed rubbish. This leaves only one choice for people such as myself, to starve. Please please for the sake of many others who are suffering, help to get rid of this companies contract. Seriously ill people need much better nutrition to heal while staying in hospital, not underhanded deals with companies dealing in food unfit for consumption. Thank you sincerely to anyone who gives support, it will ease a lot of suffering not just for patients, but for the poor nurses and support staff also.”
by Robert, Stoke-On-Trent
Saturday, August 30 2008, 8:38PM
“My brother recently had to go into hospital with a severe case of Crohn's Disease, this condition limits patients on what they can eat as many foods, esspecially processed foods cause inflamation which is excruciating, the condition can be as bad or worse in terms of pain than bowel cancer.
There was a woman in there with Crohn's who wasn't as fortunate as my brother and didn't have family to take in decent food that she could tollerate with her condition, she had to eat one of the hospital meals - while I didn't see her, her screams were easily heard all over the ward and to perfectly honest it was disturbing to hear - it really hit home not only how bad it must be for my brother but also just how sickening these cheap food deals are.
I spoke to one of the nurses about it and she said that they were embarressed to serve this food to patients, she also said that management had been dragged down to watch these horrifying scenes to try and impress upon them just how important it is that the quality of the food is dramatically improved, but it made no difference, nothing was done.
I may be biased here but quite frankly I think anyone with the power to stop this injustice who sits on their hide doing nothing about it wants shooting!”