Hospital throws away £50k of food

TORBAY Hospital had to throw away more than £50,000 of food last year, it has been revealed.

The figure has been given in correspondence between Torbay MP Adrian Sanders at senior management at the hospital.

Mr Sanders had been taking up a complaint about the standard of food from Paignton pensioner Christine Boote.

The hospital has revealed it spent almost £1.25million on feeding patients last year and threw away more than £50,000 of waste food.

Mrs Boote, 65, of Westleat Avenue, complained about the standard of food she received while staying at the Lawes Bridge hospital in September last year and her case was taken up by the Bay MP.

The hospital has been quick to defend the standard of its food and says that 100 per cent of patients questioned at the time said it was 'good'.

Diabetic Miss Boote, who has more than 30 years' experience in the catering trade, wrote to Mr Sanders who raised questions with the Government's department of health.

In a series of letters between hospital acting chief executive Liz Childs and the MP it was revealed South Devon health trust, which runs the hospital, is supplied its food from a company called Apetito, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

Ms Childs' letters reveal that food takes two days from arrival at the hospital to reach patients.

Patients' main 'protein' meals are cooked, frozen and then 'regenerated' at ward level, she said.

In letters from Ms Childs to Mr Sanders she wrote that £8.62 is spent on feeding each patient, each day which includes, snacks, beverages and meals.

In a letter Ms Childs explained: "Our catering service is provided by an in-house catering team. We operate the cook freeze system and all patients' meals are regenerated at ward level.

"All elements of the meals are prepared on the premises, other than the main protein dish which is provided under contract by the Apetito Company, an agreed NHS supplier."

Hospital spokeswoman Caroline Hill added the patient's comments and concerns were 'very regrettable'.

Ms Hill added: "However, they are not consistent with the findings of repeated surveys which have collected views on our hospital food from hundreds of patients.

"A random sample of patients across several wards at a time is questioned monthly in surveys carried out by our Catering Department to rate satisfaction with hospital meals, and these show good levels of satisfaction.

"In September, at the time of this patient's hospital stay, 100 per cent of those patients who gave their views said the catering was 'good' and none scored it poor.

"In addition, we have scored significantly better than the average for other hospitals on food and nutrition in the national inpatient survey.

"This is based on the responses given from among 850 patients recently treated at the hospital.

"All parts of the meals other than the one protein dish, which is supplied frozen and cooked here on the wards within two days of production, are prepared here in the hospital."