Hospitals feed patients on 90p a meal, official figures show
Age Concern says that for elderly people ‘missed meals in hospital can be as big a risk’
Some hospital trusts commit just £2.57 for each patient’s daily food and drink, according to the latest statistics, despite growing concern about poor nutrition on wards.
At least 30 hospital trusts, almost one in 10 of the total, spend less than £5 a day on breakfast, lunch and dinner for each person in their care.
The statistics, placed in the House of Commons Library this week, drew allegations from patients’ groups that nutritional standards are slipping as managers strive to save money.
Compiled by the NHS Information Centre, the figures give details of spending on food and drink in 2010-11 by more than 350 primary care trusts, foundation hospitals and other NHS bodies.
They reveal large budget disparities, with some trusts spending more than £20 a day on each patient, while others commit barely a 10th of that.
The lowest spender was the Western Sussex Hospitals trust, which was listed as paying £2.57 a day to feed each patient.
Several other trusts spent less than £1 on each meal. Harrow in north-west London spent £2.75 for each patient each day, compared with £2.83 the previous year. North Somerset spent £2.76 per patient. Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire spent £3.02, down from £4.78 in 2009-10.
In total, 30 of the NHS bodies listed spent less than £5 a day on each “patient meal day” — the average daily cost for the provision of all meals and drinks fed to an in-patient. By contrast, Wiltshire primary care trust spent £22.31. Several others spent more than £10 a day.
The figures are disclosed a day after a report by the independent Future Forum warned that NHS nurses were lacking in compassion and basic skills.
In the past 12 months, a series of reports by the official health service watchdog has exposed worrying standards of care in the NHS, in particular for elderly patients.
Government sources said last night that concern about the poor state of nutrition in some hospitals had prompted David Cameron’s warning last week about declining basic standards of care in the NHS.
Overall, the health service spends around £500 million a year on food and drink for patients.
According to separate figures published in October by the Department of Health, average food spending per patient per day rose from £5.32 in 2004-05 to £8.06 in 2009-10.
However, there are mounting concerns that some patients are not eating properly while in hospital.
Around 200,000 NHS in-patients are discharged every year suffering from malnutrition, with 10,000 of those estimated to have become malnourished during their stay.
NHS figures released in October showed that food worth £22 million was thrown away untouched in the previous year because patients were unable or unwilling to eat it. In some hospitals, more than one in five meals was returned uneaten.
Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association claimed the latest spending figures showed NHS managers were trying to cut corners, with the result that patients’ health was suffering.
“Sadly, catering is not seen as a priority by the NHS, but it’s a false economy,” she said. “It’s vitally important that people in hospital get a balanced diet – otherwise they will have only to stay in hospital longer.” She added: “It’s no surprise that so many people complain about the quality of the food and say they are not able to eat. Patients don’t expect restaurant-quality meals, but they do expect and deserve decent and nutritious food.”
BAPEN, a medical nutrition charity, said hospitals should do much more to ensure that patients are eating properly both on wards and after their release.
“It absolutely vital that patients receive adequate nutrition in hospital,” a spokesman for the group said. “It is also critically important that nutrition and hydration that suits them and their needs is provided.”
The Prime Minister promised last week to increase standards in hospitals, including those on nutrition, with new guidelines for nurses on feeding and other basic aspects of care.
Simon Burns, a health minister, said last night that some trusts had to improve their performance on food. He added: “All patients deserve basic standards of care when they are in hospital and good food is one of them. We have set binding standards for good hydration and nutrition as part of a hospital’s registration with the regulator.
“The amount of money hospitals are spending on food has gone up over the past five years, and waste is going down, but this rise in the amount spent on food does not necessarily mean better food for patients.
“Many trusts have excellent food and are serving healthy, fresh meals to their patients whilst staying within budget. These trusts set a precedent for others to follow and the whole NHS should be learning from the best trusts.”
The Western Sussex hospitals trust said that its spending figure was so low because of disparities in the way the NHS data had been collected. Paul Hatcher, the trusts’s director of estates said: “Unlike other trusts, the figure represents only the cost of ingredients, and not the total spent on sourcing, preparing, cooking and serving food and drink. If those costs are included our figure would be around £8 per patient, per day.”
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