Don’t make hospital food woke

VEGAN activists have attacked

the NHS for serving patients venison from deer culled by Forestry England.

Venison has become one of the most popular dishes on the menu at the East Lancashire Hospital Trust, which has been sourcing it from nearby forests for a year. But activists want to see meat ditched for vegetables and tofu. Sorry, but this is madness, and I speak as someone who was once a vegan. Not only does the venison come from a sustainable source — where the free-range animals have led a good life — but those in hospital desperately need good food in order to recover. Venison is high in protein, zinc and iron, and low in fat, making it ideal.

For too long, bad food in NHS hospitals has been a national disgrace. I see many, often older, patients, with poor nutrition, which hampers their recovery. Evidence shows a vegan diet can be deficient in vital nutrients. Not a concern if you’re a wealthy, fit and healthy youngster. But that is not the bulk of those in hospital. Once again vegans appear middle class, out of touch and militant.

■ If you’re like the millions of Britons who have sleep problems, a good night’s snooze is a dream. Now data from 8,000 people followed over 25 years suggests getting seven hours a night helps reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes and arthritis.

This adds to pressure on the NHS to widen access to sleep clinics. Too many are simply prescribed sleeping pills, which work in the short term, but can be addictive and make people groggy. We know that psychological treatments provided by sleep clinics, such as CBT, can help train the brain back into restful slumber.

Now we need more of them.