Four roast potatoes and a slice of turkey was derisory dinner for father at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
By Lucy Ashton
Hospital food has a long history of criticism by patients, many of whom would rather not eat at all than partake of the food served up to them.
It hit the headlines again this week when it was reported by a national newspaper that a woman was left fuming with the “disgusting” hospital meal that her father was served for his hospital lunch, branding it a “disgrace”.
The woman, known only as Lara, says her father was given the meal of four roast potatoes and a slice of turkey during his stay at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday.
The Queen Elizabeth is the main hospital which has been serving West Dunbartonshire for a number of years since the Vale of Leven Hospital was downgraded by the Health Board and the Royal Alexandra Infirmary in Paisley is widely viewed as a halfway hospital between the Vale and the Queen Elizabeth.
The Daily Record reports that the woman in question was “left reeling” by the meal – which is outsourced by the NHS to a private company – Lara’s post on social media received support from thousands of social media users.
One philanthropist said that he would give her £2,000 to send her father “decent meals” during his stay. An image shared online of the food depicts a plate that contains just the dinner.
One reporter said: “The four potatoes look reasonably cooked, but the slice of turkey looks unappetising with several varieties of colour on the meat.
“Whilst the meat is present, there is only one type of vegetable on the plate despite there being plenty of room for carrots, peas or broccoli.”
He added: “The entire meal sits in a puddle of watery gravy, that resembles juice more than the thick sauce that it is supposed to be. Lara felt the meal was nothing short of a disgrace and took to social media yesterday to share the photograph.”
The woman, who has not yet been identified, wrote: “This is the lunch served up to my father in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Glasgow today, an absolute disgrace. Disgusting.”
Her post received over 27,000 likes with more than 5,300 comments from social media users who were riled by the standard of food being offered to patients in Scottish hospitals.
One said: “Need to serve that at Holyrood before anything will happen, our politicians are totally oblivious to what is actually happening on the ground, how can that help to make someone well.”
Another added: “That’s shocking, outsourcing was the biggest mistake ever, I hope your dad gets well soon.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is committed to serving fresh, healthy and appetising food to all our patients, and all meals served at our hospitals are prepared in-house to meet strict nutritional standards.
“A two-week rotating menu enables patients to choose from a variety of meals based on their preferences and also that of their families and carers, ensuring food served is tailored to their needs.
“We are sorry if this patient feels we have fallen short of the standards they would expect. If any patient wishes to provide any feedback or is unhappy with their food, we encourage them to raise this with us directly through nursing or catering staff.
“This can be done at the time with the staff on duty for the meal service or through our online feedback forms, or, via the ‘Food and Health in Hospital’ form given to them as part of their stay.
“Additionally, we have a patient panel, recruited through our Patient Involvement Programme, which measures patients’ experience of food and takes on feedback to help inform menu choices and food quality.
“Unannounced, regular visits to the wards review the quality of food delivered to the patients, helping ensure patients are happy with their meals.”