Sick fed on just £2.61 a day

PATIENTS are being served meals costing less than £3 a day at some NHS hospitals, official figures reveal.

NHS bosses in some parts of England are spending 13 times less than others on meals.

Hospital meals are monitored by the Care Quality Commission, which checks that patients have access to sufficient food and drink that is nutritional and balanced. Figures from NHS Digital show 13 hospital sites spent less than £5 a day per patient on food, with Gloucester Royal Hospital bottom of the list at £2.61.

In contrast, Heatherwood Hospital in Frimley, Surrey, spent around £40 a day, analysis by the Labour Party found.

Reasons for the disparity were not given but some hospitals may include staff and equipment costs in their calculations.