Hospital food so disgusting I may have to leave: patient
A WOMAN who was admitted to the Ulster Hospital says she may discharge herself today after being served what she described as “food you wouldn’t give to a dog”.
Type 1 diabetes sufferer Kellie Alexander (40) was admitted on Sunday due to high blood sugar levels, which leave her at risk of lapsing into a coma.
However, she claimed the food she has been served is so poor that she has been unable to eat it, jeopardising her recovery.
Describing the meals as “absolutely disgusting”, the Tullycarnet woman says she was relying on her partner Angela Alexander (33) to bring in food.
Kellie shared a picture of what she said was a “stone-cold” meal of a broccoli and cheese bake, a hard potato and Brussels sprouts, which was given to her for lunch yesterday (below).
“People with diabetes need balanced and nutritious food,” she said.
“They preach to you that you must eat well at home. So why aren’t they providing good food in hospital?
“It’s absolutely disgusting. I’ve got two dogs and I wouldn’t give this food to them.
“When I saw the lunch come out I was flabbergasted. It was cold and the potato was rock solid. In the morning I had asked for cream on my porridge, and the cream was curdled and off.
“On Wednesday night it was breaded fish, a spoon of beans and a sausage that was raw in the middle.”
She feels she may have no other option than to discharge herself from the ward today.
“My wife has been bringing in food as I can’t eat the stuff in here, but what do people who don’t have anyone do?” she asked.
“There hasn’t been an issue with the care, the nurses are fantastic and they look after you, but there is this issue with the food.
“The doctors don’t want me to leave as my blood sugar is still not under control, but I feel I have no other option.
“I need to get home so I can eat normally and deal with my diabetes.”
The South Eastern Trust said: “The trust has concluded a preliminary investigation into this incident and we sincerely regret that any patient in our care had a less than satisfactory experience.”
It added that temperature records showed that the food cooked on Wednesday and Thursday was above 80C.
It also said that the temperature of the sausages after cooking was 84C, above the 75C required.
It added the trust had not received any other complaints regarding the porridge served yesterday, and had received no complaints regarding the sausages. It said: “There is a range of menu options for all patients and for all dietary requirements and these are highlighted on the menu card issued to our patients.
“The Ulster Hospital has a food hygiene rating of five (very good).
“Service users have been used to develop menu choices and patient satisfaction audits demonstrate most of our patients are either satisfied or very satisfied with their meals.
“The temperature of food is checked prior to leaving kitchens and served as soon as arrival on the ward in a hot food trolley.
“The trust is committed to ensuring that nutritional standards are in place for all patients in health and social care settings.
“Our menus are designed by dieticians and coded to cater for the needs of all patients, including diabetic patients.”