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Hospital kitchen food investigated for underfed patients

by Medindia Content Team on Jan 24 2006 8:49 PM

In a major allegation made by family of patients at Swansea psychiatric hospital, it is said that patients are not eating food. This is being linked with the closure of kitchens at Cefn Coed Hospital.

The claims made say that some elderly patients have lost weight following the closure of the kitchens at Cefn Coed Hospital.

The closure of the kitchens occurred due to shifting of the Swansea NHS Trust to what it called a "cook chill" system.

The bone of contention is that meals prepared at another site are re-heated at Cefn Coed.

"The staff are wonderful and the patients are really well looked after but morale is very low. I've seen those making sandwiches for the patients because they will not eat the food. I've been taking cooked dinners in for my mother.”, said a daughter of a patient.

Swansea NHS Trust said the system introduced at Cefn Coed was one that had operated successfully at many hospitals across the UK.

A spokesperson of the trust said, "We have put in place measures to monitor both the volume and quality of food and steps to improve the link between the catering staff, ward staff and senior nursing staff to ensure that the particular needs of psychiatric patients are met," "Concerns have been raised about potential weight loss by patients; although there is no evidence that this is related to the food provided. We are however taking this matter very seriously and the acting director of nursing, along with senior nurse colleagues at Cefn Coed Hospital, are working with dieticians and ward staff to ensure that patients are not being put at risk."

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The demand is that immediate action is taken and it be ensured that patients are being nutritionally fed.


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