Dispatches - Hospital Food

I've spent the last 4 years encouraging NHS Trusts, local authorities and other public sector bodies to source and supply fresh and better quality foods. This was in the Yorkshire Humberside region. The post was made redundant in December 2010.
I never worked with Sodexho, but the damning evidence of their regenerated meals shown last night on C4 was a disgrace.
I was fortunate to work with Trusts that had their own kitchens on site, and so meals were prepared from a range of ingredients. The Trusts which made a difference over the years were: NHS N Lincs and Goole, NHS Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, and NHS York Teaching Hospitals. There were many that never wanted or were allowed to engage.

If you are admitted to hospital, as a diabetic are you given the CP's for your choice off the menu, thus allowing you to take the correct amount of insulin?

Whatever the choice of food you are given, whether it be bad or good food, the hospital staff, being aware of your condition, must make the effort to provide you with accurate carbohydrate values.................yes, as a graduate you can comfortable estimate the carbohydrate values but for some, probably most, an accurate count is what is needed for good results..........

I would expect this from any hospital I attend. Will it happen with everyone, probably not, as not everyone may be as confident or fit to ensure it happens.......

When I fully applaud your efforts and aims, I can understand why it doesn't happen. Unfortunately politicans are great at talking not so good at doing. With budgets ever decreasing
and re-organisations on the horizon realistically its going to be low on a PCT's agenda. I'm not suggesting it should be just pointing out the realities. I didn't see the programme so I can't
comment, I tend to avoid stuff like that since they mostly seem to have an agenda before making the programmes and the outcome is always something 'sensational'. A lot of stuff
at hopsitals is now outsourced to the most 'competitive' bidder, this is the root cause to most of these issues. The same thing happens with cleaning at hospitals, the cheapest cleaners not
the best cleaners. Not sure how you 'break' this system.

My biggest issue with hospitals was convincing the HCP's that I could manage my own diabetes and didn't need them to tell me when to test and when to inject. They seemed to want to
'take over' my management for me. This obviously was not going to happen so it caused a few 'tense' moments until they got the idea that they would not be doing it.

I have also had similar issues to Marke.

Twice in my Diabetic life I have been hospitalised - shattered my left leg twice, 5 years apart. At the first hospital they had me rigged up to a drip and a sliding scale, which was playing havoc, plus the food was rubbish - it got to the point where after the second day I told them in no uncertain terms that if they didn't remove the drip, I would a) remove it my self, and b) make an allegation of criminal assault against them as I was withdrawing my consent as their treatment of me was not in my best interests. This obviously didn't go down well with the control freak ward sister, but it had the desired effect and I was able to test and control my diabetes myself.

The second time I had learnt my lesson - all be it at a different hospital, and I told them they could only put me on the sliding scale whilst I was under the general anaesthetic, but as soon as I was awake and aware I would be managing my condition myself - this prompted a very terse meeting with the ward sister and (for some reason) some administrator, but I got my own way.

This was all pre Dafne, but I am sure not much has changed, as wards are areas of generalism not diabetic specialists, but remember - it is your body, and they need your consent - unless you are unconscious, when they will act to save your life - and they are very good at this, but once awake, it is for you to decide, not them, don't be pressured by them, be firm - or down right rude in my case, you know far more about your condition and your body than they do.

It was also interesting to watch the C4 (I think) program on last night with the chef (can't spell his name, but you know the one I mean, the fancy one who makes stuff out of liquid nitrogen) and see the rapid improvement in the quality of food at the Alder Hay.