Patient orders in pizza because hospital food choice so poor
PATIENT Lee West was so fed up of hospital food he had a pizza delivered to his ward.
The 35-year-old, pictured, was admitted to Ward 19 at the North Staffs Royal Infirmary, suffering from severe back pain on September 25.
Until he was discharged on Wednesday, he was served a cold breakfast and a cooked lunch, which he says were passable, but his problem lay with the evening meals.
Mr West, of Churchfields Avenue, Dresden, said: "On the evening menu, you get a choice of two different types of sandwiches. Usually one of them was a processed cheese sandwich, then a packet of crisps, piece of fruit or a yoghurt. That's not a proper evening meal for an adult."
When Mr West complained to catering staff on the ward, he was told meal choices were out of their hands and down to food supplier Sodexo.
After the firm began its contract with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire last August, many patients complained about the quality of the food, which is cooked in South Wales and driven to Hartshill.
One evening, Mr West spent £15 on food from Newcastle's Domino's Pizza.
He said: "Staff on Ward 19 were absolutely fabulous, but the food wasn't. They would make toast if you were really hungry, but that wasn't enough either.
"I spent £15 on a Domino's and people were gob-smacked that I felt the need to do it, but I need something warm at night. They brought it right up to my bed, and it was warmer than hospital food."
Mr West, who works as a lorry driver, added: "There was a lad in there who I only saw eat hospital food twice. His mum was bringing him a KFC or McDonald's every day."
Ben Sandy, franchisee of three Domino's outlets, including Newcastle, said: "It is not unheard of for people to ring asking us to deliver food to the hospital. We deliver up there fairly regularly."
The number of complaints about food at the hospital is not currently reported to the trust's board.
Kevin Holliday, the hospital's catering manager, said: "Mr West was referred to the catering department and was subsequently visited by the assistant catering manager where his issues with the food were discussed.
"From that meeting, further meal options where made available to Mr West, which included hot choices for the evening meal and hot breakfasts."
Nick Micholau, manager of Hartshill Chippy, in Hartshill Road near the hospital, said: "We get many people coming in and saying they are purchasing food for friends or relatives inside the hospital."
Read more about the hospital food row
I'm cheesed off with hospital food
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by DonnaW, Staffordshire
Wednesday, November 04 2009, 11:23AM
“This makes me laugh !!
I spend alot of time in the UHNS due to my main health issue (severe brittle asthma) and also have other health issues including food allergies and diabetes (on insulin) and more.
I was recently in the UHNS for 3wks and in that time they never did provide a meal that was "Allergen free" until the catering manager and his team went out to Tesco and bought me food from Tesco's Free From Range.
If this guy had a complained to the catering team directly they would have bent over backwards to help sort food out for him - including a hot meal at tea time instead of the sandwiches !!
I will standby the Catering manager and his team because given half the chance they do their best in a difficult situation !!
Sudexo haven't a clue what todo with allergies and hence while I deal directly with the catering manager and his team on EVERY ADMISSION and they then sort my food out eventually !!
Food is important to any patients recovery - it provides the energy for the patient to recover and as such is important to any patients stay but come on this guys really just taking the mickey !!
Oh and I even have "pictures" of the inedible food Sudexo have tried to serve me at the hospital - you wouldnt believe some of them !!”
by kelly, stoke
Tuesday, October 13 2009, 6:05PM
“I think Bill before you slate a company you should learn to spell thier name correctly.”
by Warren, Meir
Monday, October 12 2009, 7:14PM
“Mel... Yes everyone in for a few weeks I think as phoned up for a take out, I ordered up Steak and Chips once and ate it in the enterance of the Cadiac unit at UHNS, no halm in it, or indeed resorted to begging visiters to smugger in the odd cooked chicken (done) or a good cup of coffie (done, and on a reguler basis as well), the diffrance hear is this lads bussed off to the paper and tryed to make a fuss. Not on, you get on with your life, he must have to much time on his hands.”
by mrs moaner, burslem
Monday, October 12 2009, 7:05PM
“ST from stoke..firstly i would like to say yes i do work and pay my taxes but what i meant in my comment was its free as in we dont notice paying for the food but the nhs dont have to provide food they r there to save lives (they do mess up alot when it comes to saving lives)but thats another story..people really need to stop moaning all the time if the nhs shoved a kebab in front of everyone they would be slated for serving un healthy food they cant win”
by Fed up with drunk, fat, smoker types, Stoke on Trent
Monday, October 12 2009, 6:44PM
“I don't know about anyone else but fat people disgust me. All this BS that we all pay our taxes so we should all get treatment makes me sick to the back teeth. We all pay an equal amount according to what we earn, spend etc... but these fat people actually get a disproportionate amount spent on them via the NHS. It's time the fit and healthy stopped subsidising the unhealthy and a separate tax for the NHS was introduced based on the US style of health insurance, ie the more unhealthy you are due to lifestyle choices, the more you pay - that's fair.”
by melanie, stoke
Monday, October 12 2009, 6:37PM
“Will people stop picking on this poor guy? Its understandable that he ordered a pizza onto the ward, his money, he can do what he likes. and hospital food does get boring.
Leave him alone. I use to order in take aways too, especially if I was going to be in for a very long time, the food got to be boring, bland and total crap.”
by James, Stone
Monday, October 12 2009, 6:36PM
“In fact Brian, it's numpties with sentiments like that who have have forced this govt to spend so much and put the country in so much debt. We need a health service where people become more accountable for looking after their own health and can't simply live an unhealthy lifestyle and expect the rest of us to pick up the tab.”
by James, Stone
Monday, October 12 2009, 6:32PM
“But Brian , those that don't live that puritanic lifestyle are increasing the tax bill because of their lifestyle so maybe they should pay more. Try thinking more than one step ahead.”
by Lewis, Hanley
Monday, October 12 2009, 6:30PM
“I stayed at UHNS recently following surgery and the food was fine, no problems at all. To pay £15 for a take away pizza is just absud, was that for every patient on the ward?!! Sounds to me like Mr West just wants his 5 minutes of fame in the local rag”
by Warren, Meir
Monday, October 12 2009, 3:43PM
“Same sort of set up before, the contract came in Corn Fakes, toast and jam. NHS coffie, dreadfull, for breakfast. Nice cooked luntch, Chicken Curry very nice, and butties and crips for tea, all good and supleymented by conrtaband Oatcakes, the odd Roast Beef buttie and tons of fruit and gallons of all sorts to wash it down, who the hell can eat two massive meals in a day, or £15 worth of ruddy pizza is anyones gess, might be why his backs hurting him, made a pig of himself all his life. Just shut up, and I hope you feel better soon dude.”