MP calling menu to account

Ten patients have lodged formal complaints about food at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. Dave Blackhurst, Hayley Harp, George Oliver and Laura Naylor speak to affected patients

PATIENTS sick of their hospital food are being urged to lodge formal complaints with NHS bosses.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP Joan Walley believes formal complaints are the best way of holding catering giant Sodexo to account.

Ms Walley made the call after contacting the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, following complaints from a number of her constituents.

But in a reply from trust chairman Mike Brereton it was revealed the hospital is stuck with the Sodexo contract for seven years and the same company is about to take over catering at Burslem's Haywood Hospital.

Now the Labour MP is to press in Parliament for changes to the private finance initiative (PFI) under which the contract was awarded.

She said: "It is important that anyone who is not satisfied registers a formal complaint.

"That way complaints can be investigated and the contractor is held to account.

"Mike's reply demonstrates that the Government urgently needs to review how PFI contracts can be made more consistent with the best environmental and sustainable development guidelines and I shall carry on pressing for changes at Westminster."

Mr Brereton's reply reveals the hospital has forked out an undisclosed sum to try to resolve the catering problems and plans to recoup some of the cash from the company.

But with Sodexo taking over cleaning and portering from existing NHS staff next year, he assured there was "a very strict performance regime to monitor the service and ensure quality standards are met."

He said: "If these are not met then financial penalties are applied.

"There have been difficulties since the handover and a small number of formal complaints have been received from patients.

"They have all been logged and been the subject of daily meetings between the trust and Sodexo representatives.

"There have also been positive comments about the quality of the food.

"We and Sodexo are determined to resolve the few remaining issues as quickly as possible.

"There is no question that Sodexo will not meet its contractual obligations.

"The company has extensive experience and is able to provide good quality meals and facilities management in the healthcare market."

A report to this month's board meeting revealed there were still "inconsistences" over choice despite improvements.

Food tastings by dieticians and managers had concluded that "the quality was generally good although the sandwich quality was not".

The report added that following the departure of Sodexo's site manager last month, the company's national operations director was working at the hospital once a week until a replacement starts work in January.