Friday 25 September 2009

They can do it!


I'm not sure if it's kindness or a fiendishly clever PR strategy to take the wind out of my sails, but today I received another delicious cheese and ham panini. This was made by the same chefs who reheat the factory food that the hospital normally serves. It shows that the staff are more than capable of producing good quality and tasty food which is reasonably well presented. Simples!

31 comments:

  1. Good afternoon TM - wow this really shows that you have been making all this up! Typical man just enjoying a good moan ..........!!

    Just jesting .. best wishes from Cats Mother

    Bone appetit!

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  2. I think you've definitely been rumbled. Expect pate de fois gras any day now.

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  3. It can be done. It just isn't done often enough.

    £0.59 per portion is the most miserly thing I have ever heard. A dog gets fed better than that!

    Budget increases for food in hospitals are hardly likely given the dire financial problems faced by the country. BUT £0.59 per portion is dire.

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  4. ... or possibly caviare. But not, I fear, champers to go with it.

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  5. Although there won't be an increase because some spreadsheet jockey is too thick to understand... if they did increase the food budget, the savings on wastage and shorter patient stays would save heaps of money and end up costing less. It's all about deploying resources to maximum effect. Unfortunately some people simply can't grasp lateral thinking.

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  6. ... so if they have fresh salad, cress, panini and nice cheeses in the kitchens, who gets them if not the patients?

    They aren't winning any PR battles from my PoV!

    Keep typing under the sheets!

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  7. One wonders if it would be possible to order such things on a regular basis from a nice little canteen, say one such as the staff use. The price paid by a patient could attract a 59p discount and bingo no more slop.
    May the debate commence?

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  8. This comes from the main cafe in the hospital Atrium where the staff and visitors eat side by side. It's good value, there's a good choice and it's freshly cooked. Staff are great. The patients' food is produced in a factory in Wales and then chilled and shipped to the hospital for reheating. Bring back cooking to the hospital and the problem would be reduced.

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  9. I think we're forgetting that the nutritional restrictions on the commercial cafe aren't strict. The Government's diktat on sugar, salt and fat patients' meals are a big part of the problem. If they allowed patients to choose their own food then the food nazis would be thoroughly pissed off. It's about control.

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  10. I mean 'fat in patients' meals' rather than 'fat patients'!

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  11. That is an absolutely beautiful lunch. You have definitely been found out. I think you should eat that first and worry about being rumbled later!

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  12. Well perhaps the food nazis live on the sort of sh*t that you have been served, so they think it's good

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  13. Here in the States, if a patient needs a low salt diet, they order from the low salt menu. Same with low fat, low sugar, etc. Granted, no hospital food is going to win a James Beard Award, but why make it unbearable for everyone???

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  14. It's so obvious except to the management. What does this tell us about management?

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  15. Defo eat first, worry later.
    So, did someone go and get that for you?
    Why can't the food patients get served on the ward be presented so nicely?

    I really don't understand NHS management. It seems to be totally at odds with its aims! To make the patient journey as quick as possible with as little risk as possible. Seems to me the ordinary food served to you has been designed to make you ill not well!

    Keep on with the paninis.

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  16. Oh lovely! Take out the ham (vegetarian) and I would love it. I am still ill in bed and the best I coould manage was a bowl of Cookie Crisps Breakfast cereal.

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  17. The nursing staff were concerned that I wasn't eating and as I'm going to be here a long time it would have had a serious impact on my health and recovery. So they asked the catering manager if anything could be done. They said I could choose food from the cafe. Having eaten there as an outpatient I knew it was good so I ordered a panini. I've only done this twice so far and I feel uneasy because I don't want the hospital staff to think I'm a moaning git because I'm really not and in a way it's selling out but I have my health to consider.

    Incidentally don't worry about me eating the panini, that was wolfed down in no time at all. I would have eaten the salad but I'm not allowed sweetcorn and I forgot to tell the kitchen staff but they know now.

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  18. If you are really ill, it seems better to have food that you can pick up in your fingers; perhaps a throwback to early childhood?
    Very impressed that you have an Atrium, we just have miles of 60s concrete/glass corridors that are baking in summer and freezing in winter.
    Glad you are getting somewhere at last. Stick with the Paninis. Sometimes health is more important tnan principles.

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  19. Health is important but there are older people or others who maybe aren't so able to speak up who need to be considered.It really bothers me that some very ill people are literally dying for a good meal.

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  20. Bon appetit! All you need with that is a Guinness.

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  21. Well, by all means, keep on ordering nice food from this atrium cafe then, if it helps you healing! It really isn't your fault that you can't stomach the bingo items - and I think you're also entitled to a few privileges by sheer length of stay there - the average inpatient these days stays for a few days only, and some of them he is asked to fast anyway. I do not think you're being unfair on anybody if you try to get palatable food!! Also you are raising awareness of the problem even now, so you are thinking of others as well. Keep on the good work, Knight of Femur!!

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  22. Well said, TM! It is wonderful that you were able to get a good meal, but there are thousands of others still in the hospital that aren't. These people need someone to speak for them!

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  23. While it looks delicious at first glance, I have to ask, why is the cheese bright yellow? Does it taste like cheese or is it plastic? Or maybe just doused in mustard?

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  24. It's good to know the nurses have noticed that you weren't eating - and then did something about it. Where I work things like that often get missed - or when they get noticed nothing gets done about it.

    I printed some excerpts from your blog in order to amuse the younger patients (cognitively able and intact tastebuds) - looking at the pictures made them think their food seem pretty good!
    Keep up the good work - and good food requests.
    Fiona in Oz.

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  25. "It really bothers me that some very ill people are literally dying for a good meal." You and me both, Traction Man. I'm trying to keep my comments fairly light-hearted, but actually I'm furious that this is still happening, after all the Government Speak about us eating healthily. People need light, tempting meals if they are to recover - not the sort of thing we've been seeing on your blog. But please give gold stars all round to your nurses for spotting that you weren't eating properly, and then doing something about it. Well done them!

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  26. http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_106042.pdf

    - thought you might enjoy a laugh at this. Latest Guvment bollocks about 'Putting Patients at the Heart of Care.'

    Like where else should they be?

    And so why does the Guvment think it's worth wasting good public money to write obvious waffle such as this that no one will ever read or give a monkey's about?

    Sadly no mention of 'diet' or 'hospital food' anywhere in the document.

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  27. Can you say: "big fat management consultancy contract"?

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  28. I think they're just on to you and want to shut you up. Every other poor sod is probably still eating sh** on a shingle. There's really no excuse for bad institutional food. Even if they have to go the frozen route there are really good frozen options these days. Ones whose contents can be readily identified.

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  29. We don't get food like that in our staff canteen. We get the stuff as in hospital bingo pics, we have to eat the same shite as you have been served. Well actually we don't have to eat it, we bring sandwiches in.

    Anyway, I now believe in karma, I heard today one of our "grey suits" has just been admitted to hospital so they have a perfect opportunity to sample the "food" fed to the patients and maybe do something about it.

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  30. TM, go for it! You need to keep your strength up...
    ...and don't feel guilty. You could always toss a coin. Heads - the atrium menu, tails - slop!

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  31. Put me in charge and the menu would look like this...! liteneasy.com.au/nova/food_dinners.html

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