To expect the hospital canteen to be open today.

[cheshirekitty]

I work in a NHS hospital as a nurse in clinics. At lunch time today myself and 2 workmates went to the canteen and where surprised to find it closed because it was New Years Eve. This is not a bank holiday. Clinics where running, so patients where not able to get anything to eat, staff where unable to get anything to eat.

We went to the shop and of course all the sandwiches had been sold due to it being the only place where food was available except for the small tea bar which had a queue a mile long. We spent 20 mins of our 30 min lunch queueing/searching for food.

AIBU to expect a hospital canteen to be open on New Years Eve daytime to service patients, relatives and staff?

diabolical way to treat staff and pts!poor you

oh thats cr*p.

i know how vital canteens can be at hospitals, not juast for staffs and patients, but also visitors. i have spent many hours, staring into a cup of tea whilst at hospital visiting dh,

That's pants!! Complain CK! Make sure it doesn't happen again next year!

I would be livid if i was you.......... have you got a union rep you can complain to?

I belong to the Royal College of Nurses. They are as much use as a chocolate fireguard. I bleeped the catering manager to ask why the canteen was closed but he never answered his bleep (probably took the day off as it was New Years Eve)!!!

Will send a letter to the chief executive, fancy looking for a new job in the new year, ho ho ho.

YANBU! That's terrible. Complain, it is not a public holiday so it shouldn't have been closed

Wonder if you work at the same hospital, our WRVS sold out of sarnies and someone said the canteen was shut.

Post office in our village shut early as well. Its not a bank holiday fgs!!!!

wonder if you are over in Nottingham, where my baby nephew is in special care. Went over today and was appalled to see hard working drs and nurses queing in a tiny little shop/cafe amongst the rest of us visiting or inmates. They'd run out of food too! Not good enough, all of us deserve better.

That's dreadful - I'd have hated it if the hospital canteen did that when we were in for 8 days and at least it was in a busy residential and shopping area of London and I could get out for short amounts of time - my baby was the patient not me.

And those of you working long shifts and such short lunchbreaks - when loved ones or me are the patient I'd like the staff looking after them to have had the chance to eat and rest a little in their breaks. That's awful.

What??
People still need feeding on New Years Eve? Well I never!

Complain, theyre not being fair.

That's terrible - they are still feeding the patients so they are still there. Even if they did have to shut it's unforgivable that they didn't let people know ahead of time so you could bring a thermos and some butties.

Message on the canteen door said it was closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. No mention was made of it being closed on New Years Eve.

It is typical of the NHS now though, which is run by 9-5 managers who do not have to work shifts, weekends or nights.

Don't know why I was surprised at it being shut.

wa%k but typical! apparently (according to silly b%t%h in our local paper) Nurses and Drs shouldn't be allow to eat in hospital canteens at all because they might give the public MRSA!!!!!!!!!!! Until there is a sheep dip at the canteen entrances then I suggest the public shouldn't be allowed in to prodect the medical staff from their lurgies!

Good point babalon! We make all our visitors wash their hands before entering the main area of the ward - but we're on a SCBU and they don't mind. I have yet to see a visitor washing their hands on any other ward! Sheep dip would be a good idea.