Hospital meals a recipe for disaster?

It’s gone so wrong that catering bosses have launched a helpline for patients to complain if they are unhappy about their food.

It comes as angry patients and relatives have flooded the Daily Echo complaining about the state of the dishes being served up at Southampton General and Princess Anne hospitals.

In some cases elderly patients have fallen asleep while waiting for their evening meals that have arrived hours late.

Others have complained that their special food needs are being ignored with diabetic and gluten free meals mixed up.

Food chiefs admit there have been problems but say improvements are now being made across the service that was fully introduced across both hospitals just over three weeks ago.

They claim nearly three-quarters of people were satisfied with their food according to a survey carried out last month.

But those who can’t stomach the new meals – provided by a private firm at a cost of £3.86 each to the hospitals – are being told to get a member of staff to ring a new internal hospital number for the M e d i r e s t helpdesk so they can c o m p l a i n about their meal.

Catering and trust bosses are also holding daily meetings with ward staff so that any problems can be quickly resolved.

Private company Medirest last year won the five-year £17m contract to provide the new Steamplicity patient meal service.

Under the new system all patient meals are now pre-prepared 90 miles away in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and steam cooked in microwaves in ward kitchens.

A special patented steam valve in the packaging allows the different components of a meal to be c o o k e d t o g e t h e r f r o m f r e s h , using the f o o d ’ s nat u r a l w a t e r content.

S o u t h - a m p t o n Unive r s i t y Hospitals NHS Trust, which awarded the contract, says it is continuing to monitor Medirest’s performance on meal delivery times and patient satisfaction levels.

Peter Holloway, the hospital trust’s care group manager for non-clinical support, said: “Many of our patients have enjoyed the change and the quality of our meals.

“There have been some operational difficulties in the roll out to the 1,100 hospital beds that we didn’t necessarily envisage initially.

“However, I think through working closely with the contractor and staff who have embraced the changes, we are resolving the issues.”

Medirest contract general manager Grahame Flood admitted there had been some “transitional issues” particularly in wards such as the acute medical assessment unit where there is a high patient turnover every day.

He said he was looking forward to the new Medirest service “becoming established, becoming accepted and always looking to improve.

“We are proud of our Steamplicity offer and proud of our team.”

Mr Flood added that while there had been “some human error” in delivering meals, in some cases people had changed their minds or forgotten what they had ordered.

He added another factor the catering company had to take into account was the change in people’s status during the day that may mean that at certain times they may be ‘nil by mouth’ and not able to take any food.

In addition, he said not all wards in the same part of the hospital may get their meals delivered at exactly the same time.

Gordon Jenkins, Medirest’s patient services manager, stressed that meals were available 24 hours a day for patients who may not be able to eat during set meal times.

He said: “It’s a good product. It’s what the patient requires from a nutritional point of view.

“That is why the contract has gone to Medirest because we have got a good product that meets NHS guidelines.”

The Daily Echo asked two patients at random on the E5 emergency admissions ward about their thoughts on their meals.

David Cooper, 56, of Totton, above, who was admitted to E5 with a blood clot last Saturday, described the food on offer as “very good.”

“Its very nice. Since I have been here I have had the savoury mince, shepherd’s pie, Cumberland sausages, and the fish and sweetcorn bake which was very nice,” said the New Forest District Council worker.

“In the evenings I have had sandwiches. They are very nice with a sweet yoghurt afterwards.

Overall it’s been very good.”

Martyn Cowling, 42, of Portsmouth,left, has spent five days in E5 with a liver condition. The Royal Navy worker said: “I have to use a special dairy free menu. I would say on the whole the food is eatable. The best things are the jacket potatoes with fillings such as beans and tuna.”

See this weekend's Daily Echo for the complete story