Last week I was an inpatient in a public hospital. The food was very poor. One of the doctors looking after me, told me that the local health service attempts to feed patients for $2 per day. I wasn't even offered toast for breakfast. Instead, I was presented with two slices of dry bread.I have sent an email to the local health service expressing my concerns. Hopefully, I will hear back about what they think they should do about this.Surely good nutrition aids recovery from any illness.Obviously, those in authority, in their ivory towers, believe that buildings are more important than patients. Millions of dollars are being spent on refurbishment of wards, new car parks, etc.Don't those in authority at hospitals realise that without patients, they would not have a job?

Gargh! This is a real issue. When ever I've been in the slammer to more than two days I order takeaway so I have at least one palatable meal a day. That has created issues on occasions as some hospitals don't like patients bringing their own food, and some try to expressly forbid it.I don't eat much meat and never want it in hospital. I'm also a bit touchy when it comes to gluten so try to avoid it when possible. That narrows the menu considerably.I find out from the afternoon staff which restaurants deliver (nurses get meals brought in for themselves all the time) and order a good quality vego dish that I can split over two meals. I also take snack packs of nuts, precooked rice cups, tins of tuna and protein shakes. I keep one of those Tupperware shake makers in my emergency bag. This should not be necessary, but apparently it is.

@Zoffiel,I am going to sneak a peak at all the meal trollies and see what 's on the menu LOL. I shall report back. :) You are correct, people are pigs. There was a ummm lady that left yesterday. When the nurse went in to strip the bed there were chicken bones between the sheets and chucked under the bed, cigarette butts in the shower drain and dirty undies in the drawer.....eewww. That room just about got fumegated. This was a person who cracked the utter living shits about having a single room with a view. She also bolted with her cannula in....hmmmm wonder what that was for. Happy days.

I’m currently in a private hospital and while the food is serviceable, I still really enjoyed the bucket of KFC popcorn chicken that one of my friends brought in last night lol.

I agree with @Zoffiel except I will occasionally order and consume a snack size serve.

Hi I have to say that I have been in hospital (private) for a week with a fractured hip,the food has been great, varied tasty and more than enough considering I'm laying in bed not doing much so keeping the calories down is a good thing.Upside ,I don't have to think about what to cook, making it or washing up .So I can't complain about it at all.

Hospital food | Online Network

Blossom1961
Member
6 years ago
I have my Herceptin at Epworth. Their food is fantastic. I actually book in at lunchtime so I can eat there even though my procedure only takes an hour.
Afraser
Member
6 years ago
I think the move to import meals from a large scale commercial supplier is part of the problem.My mother's nursing home moved from its own kitchen (homely but fresh and tasty) to a commercial supplier and the overall quality went down markedly. Even 4/5 star hotels 'store' preprepared food for weeks - hard to see how that improves the quality. Happily I have not been in hospital for several years - last time, Epworth was surprisingly good, although dinner at 5pm took a bit of adjusting to.
Belgrave14
Member
6 years ago
I spent three nights in a private hospital in Sydney in March and the food was underwhelming to say the least. By day three I was making my own arrangements - I am not looking forward to my mastectomy stay!
Patti_J
Member
6 years ago
I was reliably informed that the public hospital I was in feeds patients for $2 per day. The meals arrive in shrink wrapped plastic. They are much worse than airline food.
Over the years, public hospital food in N.S.W. has deteriorated immensely.
Christmas dinners are not even good for a dog.
arpie
Member
6 years ago
I used to work in the Dietary Dept of a major Sydney Hospital, overseeing serving of meals, menus & updating patient's requirements as they would move from clear fluids to full fluids, to light diet to full diet - and on the whole, the food was pretty good! I always made sure I had some spare Roast Lamb & CHicken meals (often given to partners of extremely ill patients who were at the ward from morning to night.) Tho the 'light diets' were pretty ordinary - and I was instrumental in getting the Creamed Tripe removed from the menu & replaced with chicken & asparagus in a cream sauce! Using 'economy' as the excuse - a false economy to continue plating up & serving Creamed Tripe, only for it to be put in the bin - vs Chicken & Asparagus that was actually eaten .... not thrown out.

As the Dietary Aide for the Gynae/Plastic surgery ward and a general surgery ward - I was able to do specific meals for the more needy patients too, including making things like Roast Dinners & Casseroles into a 'thick liquid' by using a blender & lots of gravy etc to make it fit thru a 'big straw' so they could suck it in & get the actual flavours instead of just having stuff like Ensure etc. I would do that with tinned fruit & custard/ice cream etc as well, to give them some variety in flavours as well. I always had some fresh sandwiches on hand for those that couldn't cope with a hot meal.

They had their own kitchen back then & all cooking & serving was done from there. These days, it is all brought in from outside, pre packed.

When my husband had his stomach cancer surgery at North Shore Private in Sydney - the meals were excellent, altho he couldn't eat any until his last few days there as he was on Nil By Mouth & fluids for so long.

It is totally false economy to serve up crap meals that only get thrown out.
Brenda5
Member
6 years ago
Dad just spent 5 days in a public hospital in Hervey Bay but as a private patient. The meals were good and the couple of fillets of flat head fish were a real treat for dad. He gobbled one up despite how sick he was. Roast beef was a bit too much to try on his system so his carer scored that meal but dad loved the soups they made for him. To try and build him up a bit they also gave him Ensure drinks.
Silba
Member
6 years ago
Kmakm
I'm with you hospital is not I think where anyone really wants to be , but you do have to find the silver linings.

I guess a fractured hip is more of an inconvenience than an illness but when getting out of bed to go to the loo is a challenge enough for now , getting meals delivered is more than I would be getting at home.,so definitely silver linings.
Sister
Member
6 years ago
I agree @kmakm You never want to be there and if you're feeling really ill you couldn't care where you are but it does have a small positive side.
Patti_J
Member
6 years ago
Hospitals aren't a holiday if you are really ill.
There is such a difference between food in the public system and private system.
kmakm
Member
6 years ago
@Silba Illness aside, hospitals always seem a little holiday-like for me. You get a menu, food is brought to you, and then removed, you don't have to do laundry, change sheets, clean anything... heck sometimes you don't have to even clean yourself! I'd never wish to be there, I'd be happy to never see the inside of one again, but if I do, silver linings! K xox