Hospital Food
Hospital Food
The Government is facing renewed calls to overhaul hospital food after a major study revealed widespread dissatisfaction with the standard of catering.
The Food Watch survey of more than 2,200 patients, by Patient and Public Involvement Forums, revealed that more than a third left a meal because it looked, smelt or tasted unappetising.
More than one in five of the patients questioned were given meals that were not warm enough or too hot, while 18 per cent did not get the choice of meal they wanted.
The survey also showed that more than a quarter of respondents were not receiving the help they need to eat their meals, while 40 per cent had their hospital meals supplemented by food brought in by visitors.
Sharon Grant, chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, said the results call into question the effect of the Government's£40m Better Hospital Food programme, which was scrapped in May after five years.
