Need some advice please

[StripyPixieSocks]

Ok, as some of you know, my OH was rushed into hospital at 4am Wednesday morning with breathing difficulties, his heart rate and blood pressure were sky high and the oxygen in his blood was super low.

Now the paramedics were here literally 1 minute after I put the phone down and whisked him in to A&E. He was put on oxygen and prodded and poked about for hours and then admitted because his blood pressure went really low and they couldn't stabilise the oxygen levels in his blood or his blood pressure.

I cannot speak highly enough about the Paramedics and the A&E staff, they were wonderful and saw to him within about 2 minutes of him being put into a cubicle.

Anyway, he's okay-ish but can't come home until he can breathe properly, stops coughing and has stabilised but he's quite chipper and still giving me cheek from his hospital bed so apart from still not knowing what is wrong things are okay-ish! So far it looks like he's going to be in until at least Monday.

HOWEVER...

I was visiting today (2 - 7PM) and saw the state of the food they served him and nearly cried...

It consisted of a Cornish Pasty which looked like it had been baked and then heated in a microwave until it was hard and dry, something that I can only guess was mashed potato and... wait for it... 1 single canned tomato...

I think he had about two mouthfuls and pushed it away saying he'd rather eat the napkin. Then, to add insult to injury they gave him dessert... a rock hard, bone dry hot cross bun type bread... thing. He didn't eat that either.

I asked him what he had had for lunch and was that any better and he said they had given him meatballs which were awful processed rubbish with bits of gristle and bone in and he didn't eat much of that either.

By this point I was fuming and really, really upset and now I'm home I'm in tears. Now I know hospitals have a budget and I don't expect them to serve gourmet meals but really... in no way was the godawful crap they served him tonight healthy, appetising or nutritious and I want to do something about it!

I have e-mailed Boris Johnson (our Mayor) and even Jamie Oliver and I will be contacting the hospital as well to make a formal complaint but is there anything else I can do complaints wise?

I'm not really thinking very clearly as I'm really upset at the moment, stressed and on top of that it is the first time I have been alone in London and without him in three years but I want something done about the food... sorry did I say food? I wouldn't feed it to a pig. How on earth do they expect people to get better eating that kind of garbage??

I'm taking him some nice stuff tomorrow and his Mom is taking him some things too so at least between us we know he is eating something nice but it comes to something when a pensioner and someone on very limited benefits have to bail out a damn hospital!

Damn, now I'm blubbing like a big girl again mostly because I am so god-damned angry and I promised myself I wasn't going to cry today!!

Anyway... any ideas about who to contact or what to do would be great as I could busy myself getting something done so I don't feel quite so crap!

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Sorry no help from here, I think that you have complained to the right people, and are dong the right thing with taking pat food in, I know when I was in after having master luvpie I lived on food that rob brought in for me!

Anyway just wanted to send you some big from the luvpie household

Sarah & Robx

[Annpan]

Yup, hospital food is so dire it is amazing anyone survives it.

When I was in having my tot (they kept me in for 7 days) the slabs of grey meat with 'gravy' were so discusting I coudn't stomach it.
One day I asked for extra sprouts (and I HATE sprouts , but it's the only veg I had that day) the girl behind the counter said she was "only allowed to give one ladle-full each, but OK , just this once".....
One day I told the auxilury I wouldn't be going for lunch, so she brought me a sandwich - which was a grey slab of meat between 2 grey slices of bread

OH eventually brought me in a sandwich loaded to the gills with lettuce and tomatoes


Well done for writing to the powers that be (I was told that they were in a 3 year contract that couldn't be got out of )

Now, dry those tears, heres another hug tomorrow you take in some home made food, it will at least help lift OHs spirits, if not help his body heal itself.

Chin up

[MuddyWitch]

Oh SPS, big hugs from me too for both of you & one to share!

I'd add your MP & the Dept for Health, IE Alan Johnson, MP, who is the Secretary of State for Health.

or you could follow the advice on an other thread & threaten to superglue yourself naked to the doors of Alan Johnson's house!

MW

[StripyPixieSocks]

Thanks girls, I've calmed down a little now and stopped crying... I cannot believe some of the stores people are telling me about the food in hospitals.

Get this, his cousin was in there and they gave him toast that had been re-heated... good grief how hard is it to put a toaster on a ward? I know where I used to live my ex was a nurse and they had a toaster that they would make the patients toast with... geez!

Having said that Macclesfield hospital (although smaller I know) has won awards for it's food so how can one hospital have great food and one have this... stuff?!

If they tell me they're in a 3 year contract I'll tell them I don't care and bring every authority I can down on them until they sort it out... I'm a mean so-and-so me when I'm annoyed and although my OH may be out of hospital long before they do something I'm going get something done even if I have to run headlong into a few brick walls along the way

LOL @ Super gluing myself to Alan Johnsons house... that might kill him through sheer shock than motivate him Thanks for the ideas though I'll make a list and get onto them with a red hot letter... I'm good at them

[JulieSherris]

I have to say....I totally understand what you're saying.

But not every hospital is the same - in Dartford, it was totally gross... I spent 5 days after having daughter No1 eating hot x buns brought in by mum & ex-hubby even snuck a KFC in & we ate that in the smoking room!!

Then years later, when I had to spend some time in Blackpool hospital - what a change! OK, it was still hospital portions, but it was fresh & looked attractive on the plate as well.
My last hospital stay was different again... a BUPA room & all I got was a jelly.... And I couldn't even eat all of that!

Nicola - chin up - shout & scream at the world - but remember, you're not totally alone - we may all be far-flung, but we're all here for you as well
Love to Pat - tell him to hurry home, we miss you being cheery xx

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Sorry SPS, completely off topic, but I knew you were a kentish girl Julie after your comment about gypsy tart, I was born in Dartford hospital, yes a dive, but then again so was the whole of dartford, I lived there for 19 yrs so am qualified to say so!

SPS, bake him a nice cake, really unhealthy and sticky and take 2 spoons in tomorrow

Sarahx

[invisiblepiper]

[red]

sorry to hear bout your OH SPS - hope he improves soon

my experience of hospital food was dire too - when in having my lad - when they range the bell for lunch you had to run, or you would nto get anything!! - they served liver to pregnant women,,, and odd combos.. like.. risotto and chips

at least breakfast was get it yourself affair.. so that was ok. i used to fill up on museli to see me through the day!

[StripyPixieSocks]

It's just not good enough though is it, people are miserable enough in hospital as it is, and especially my OH as they moved him from a really nice ward to one with three old blokes in it and a guy in a room across the way who incoherently screams and wails all day and night. Not his fault I know but...

The guy next to him I feel sorry for him as he's really old and keeps saying to his wife that he'll never get out of there alive and she's all upset and they look such a lovely old couple.

The guy across the way is a stubborn Indian bloke who is super rude to all the nurses all the time and the other guy just coughs and throws up all day.

Then they give him dinner... oh boy!

If they had have found out what was wrong with him and given him treatment he would have signed himself out already but both myself and his Mom have told him to stop in and get it sorted and he is... so far!

Thanks for the hugs, I really needed them tonight back at all of you... thankyou !!

[StripyPixieSocks]

Anyone fancy signing this government petition?

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/FoodForHospitals/

It's a start but I might re-make it when it closes as it closes in August this year so short of time.

[Ellendra]

Wow..... just.....wow.

The main hospital here is part of the University (making it one of the top research hospitals in the world), and the cafeteria is run by the catering/food safety/nutrition students.

There are people who go there just for the food.

I guess I hadn't realized that wasn't normal.

[growingthings]

SPS

funny whenever a loved one is in hospital there is always something else to worry about...I don't think that I know a single person who was more than happy with their stay...there was always something that gave them cause to complain. And its always fundamental stuff like food and hygiene

anyway s again and good luck to you on your endevour (sp?)

Lorna x

[thomasgreen]

I really hope your OH is feeling better soon SPS and that you've got support too! I can understand why you are so upset at the state of the food/hubby not eating! Hospital food really makes me angry! I'm a psychiatric nurse on a ward for adults with dementia and the food is foul, unappetising and innutritious! The individuals we care for, as a "client group" have more health problems due to age/dementia and so it is vitally important that they receive the proper nutrition! it is getting near to hopeless as the local NHS trust continue to refuse to change anything due to motives of economy?! We have recently been doing some guerilla cooking (cooking some nicer food when matron is not around to try and sack us?!) and it makes such a difference when somebody gets to eat what they actually like!!

[Green Aura]

Sorry to here about your OH, in spite of the food I hope he's continuing to get better.

I wish you well with your campaign, but I fear you're on a hiding to nothing. All the NHS food is contracted out and is provided on a "chill-heat" basis - it's already cooked and plated and a rack full of trays of food get put in an enormous oven to be reheated. This is why everything is dry, over-cooked and generally inedible.

When I was training (at Charing Cross Hospital), we had a huge kitchen where everything was cooked on the spot - vats of porridge you could drown in! The food wasn't fantastic, I'm not sure food cooked on such a vast scale ever is, but it was obviously freshly prepared and definitely edible.

Unfortunately all the infrastructure (equipment, staff etc) for doing this is long gone and I think it's unlikely to return - even though it would create jobs, skilled -> unskilled, would increase the nutritional value, and so would improve healing.

It would take a very brave hospital trust to spend a huge amount of their budget on this. They follow guidelines to the minimum.

I was interested in the award to Macc - but if it was comparing like with like it wouldn't have to be a huge improvement.

Anyway, concentrate on helping your fella for now and then start a national campaign when he's home and well.

In the meantime to you both.