Feeding the NHS staff 3 meals a day 7 days a week?

[DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou]

My local food businesses are asked for donations so they can cook and deliver 3 meals a day 7 days a week to the ICU staff at our local hospitals.

It's a really lovely thing to do, and I know people like to feel like their are helping in times of crisis.

Do the ICU staff really want curries for lunch and dinner every day?

Couldn't these generous donations be better somewhere else?

I understand gift of thanks to the ICU staff (and others!) for doing an amazing job. But do they need so many meals everyday?

I guess I'm just not totally convinced it's helping. Not every day in one direction.

*for free

I saw a piece on this the other day on the news and my concern was are these businesses actually social distancing whilst making and preparing the meals? I mean, isn't this why the majority of us have been told to stay at home... because we can't work safely

Well no, I don't feel qualified to reply to the OP. @Lemonblast

Which is why I commented on the variety of feedback by PPs.

And the nastiness of those determined to read something in the op that wasnt there.

Where did the OP even mention 24 canteens?

13.01.48 post in response to LiveLove's post of: Don’t all hospitals have their own catering facilities? As far as I’m aware their canteens are still open 24/7 to take account of shifts, as they’ve always been. Not sure why donations of food and meals are necessary.

OP answers: Yes they do, this hospital does.
Most staff take their own food anyway.

I don't understand it either.

Flip I have seen it all now

Where are these 24/7 canteens?? Ours opens until 6pm but by the time you doff PPE, go to your locker for your purse, traipse to the other end of the hospital, queue up, eat, traipse back, don PPE again...... of course there isn't time! Bringing your own isn't great either, there's one microwave and with social distancing we cannot all go into the staff room anyway.

If a local business wants to ensure that we can actually grab something to eat if we get a break, is that such a bad thing op?

To the person who says they would feel guilty as others are going hungry.... is it a competition to see who can go the longest without food? Would me turning down this food and it getting binned help others who are hungry? Your logic makes absolutely no sense.

Once we put on PPE, we have to keep it on for 4 hours as we don't have enough to keep changing it. This means we can only drink if and when we get a break and cannot go to the loo. Since this started, I have had two nasty UTIs and the worst constipation of my life, I had to have a couple of enemas as I was so impacted and in agony. My nose, ears and hands are raw and bleeding from the mask/ hand washing. I worked 60 hours last week. But you would begrudge me the odd free meal?

They should focus on carers and their patients, not NHS staff.

Whatishappening are you in ICU or a covid ward?

No, the op refers to the hospital having it's own catering facilities.

The only mention of 24/7 canteens is from another poster.

The patients are fed by the hospital kitchens, though, Grumpy. And there is now no visiting to hospitals.

As others have said in intensive care there isn't time to change, shower, get to the canteen, queue, pay, eat, get back, shower, change in a 30 minute break. Usually staff bring food from home. I think it's a lovely gesture.

They should focus on carers and their patients, not NHS staff.

If that's your focus, do that. Carers are important as well.

The poster asks the question, Gabriella, Don’t all hospitals have their own catering facilities? As far as I’m aware their canteens are still open 24/7 to take account of shifts, as they’ve always been. Not sure why donations of food and meals are necessary. And the OP replies, Yes, they do, this hospital does' and also knows that most of the staff also bring their own food.

I agree with you OP. I'm a nurse and really don't need food provided. Sure I'll eat it. But I've managed to feed myself at work my whole career and now is no different. I haven't got less money than usual as unlike many I won't lose my job. Nor am I less able to shop - I do it on my days off same as everyone. No, most hospital canteens aren't 24/7, in fact ours is business hours only. But unless it's your first week on the job you'd know this and be used to it.

It just seems a bit weird. Donating money to feed people who have the usual amount of money and food. We may have many problems right now but hunger isn't one of them.

But other hcp on this thread obviously disagree, so who knows.

Bringing your own isn't great either, there's one microwave and with social distancing we cannot all go into the staff room anyway.

Now this I find unusual. We work so closely side by side what is the point of "social distancing" in the staff room. We have to literally rub up against each other all shift long (eg, to roll a patient to clean them, to transfer them to another bed), there's no point sitting 2m apart at dinner time.

Someone has probably already explained this, but staff on the Covid wards at our hospital are no longer allowed off the wards even for breaks (if they get any), so can't go buy anything in canteen.

I believe she is answering "yes it does ( have its own catering facilities )" .

As the OP never mentioned 24/7 canteens.

Don’t all hospitals have their own catering facilities? As far as I’m aware their canteens are still open 24/7 to take account of shifts,

100% not true. Our large hospital has no staff canteen. Up until COVID The shops and restaurants are open core hours and not for shifts. And all food is overpriced, poor quality and unhealthy. It’s only now we have a crisis in our hands that the Trust is providing one meal a day and that’s not accounting for different shift patterns. Many staff don’t even have the facilities to cater for themselves.

1300cakes
Our bosses are very strict on social distancing when getting changed, walking along corridors and having breaks etc.
They know it’s impossible to stick to guidelines when we’re with patients but the rest of the time the 2m distance is to be observed.

I do think the donations could be made better use of by giving them to poor people

Nurses are "poor people."

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou I actually agree with you. As do many of my colleagues (all frontline yellow & red zone nhs) we actually feel that these meals should be going to people who no longer have a wage coming in, people who are suddenly left without.
We’ve noticed that on our local FB help the hospital page, staff from offices and those working in non patient facing roles (I know their still important but some actually have less work to do at the moment now the regular Out Patient work has stopped and people haven’t been redeployed) have been requesting people deliver food to their offices to cheer themselves up.. seriously!!! They’ve asked for hand creams as their hands are sore.. for pizza at lunchtime.. cakes in the afternoon.. and good willed people are sending it into them.

@brummiesue legally we’re only entitled to one 30minute break for every half hour of work. And that is all we get. No tea breaks either. We’d much rather be given a tea break than free car parking..

@Dyrne yes agree with you. Why have people been so aggressive towards OP.

When the hospital have turned down offers of things from the person who started the local help the hospital FB page they actually turned quite verbally aggressive towards people asking where the money being donated was actually going and saying the hospital was shutting him down. The hospital have even had to step in a tell people that were collecting for specific type of hand cream that it couldn’t be used within the hospital as it was petroleum based and cannot be used in department... people raising money to buy their hand cream then started to post nasty messages about the hospital turning away donations, but they didn’t see the safety side of what the hospital was saying. There’s a whole side to this where people are donating things to staff to get public commendations for helping, when it’s apparent it’s for their own benefit / advertising, and it’s making many NHS staff feel uncomfortable (in my place of work anyway!)

Now this I find unusual. We work so closely side by side what is the point of "social distancing" in the staff room. We have to literally rub up against each other all shift long (eg, to roll a patient to clean them, to transfer them to another bed), there's no point sitting 2m apart at dinner time

Firstly, you are wearing PPE whilst doing those things I assume? But not whilst eating I assume?

Secondly, that is not what happens in my place of work.

We absolutely are practising social distancing in the tea room, I am amazed others aren't!

Lemonblast yes I am in a covid assessment area

I am a retired nurse and even many years ago (the 1990s) there was no catering facility in the hospital which was open outside 9 - 5 pm.

When I was a student nurse (1970s) the canteen was open 24 hrs/day. Even on night duty it was possible to get a hot meal.

Hospital where I work are doing free meals for all staff. Not sure if it’s one meals a day or more.....think it’s only one. But I’m guessing that’s why they’re asking for donations. Staff working 60 plus hours a week are struggling to shop or find time to cook. I guess if people had to pay it would cost them a fortune eating out every day even in the canteen it would add up.

1300cakes you and your colleagues should still be using every opportunity that you can to engage in social distancing when you can. That includes for handovers etc. If your manager hasn’t been facilitating this then they need to do so.