To expect that a hospital should be able to meet my dietary needs?

[Balloonsandroses]

Pretty sure I’m not being unreasonable! Been in hospital 24 hours now and just been to eat a meal for the first time (my choice). There is nothing gluten free. I have coeliac disease which they’ve known since admission. Gluten makes me vomit. So I can literally eat pepper, cucumber and lettuce. To add insult to injury this is a psych ward and I was admitted under section (still furious about this) so I can’t even leave and go and buy some food.

Really appreciate you replying. Two of my children are on anti depressants and they seem to upset their stomachs.

Hope you feel better soon.

The problem with the suggestion to make all the food vegan as it would cater for more different diets falls down on the fact that it's just as likely to contain some of the 14 common allergens, they just happen to be different ones: soya, nuts, legumes, lupin.

Replacement products like vegan cheese, yoghurt etc. are often higher in salt.

I agree with the suggestion to offer a much shorter menu but I'd go with something like these options: traditional meat hot lunch, vegan gf hot lunch, jacket potatoes with a choice of cheese, beans, tuna, then a sandwich option and a salad option. This would cover all the bases I'd have thought and obviously works for mass catering as it's what the vast majority of state primary schools seem to offer.

How utterly ridiculous.

Do you know anything about coeliac disease? It's not a fad diet or a choice or preference. It's an autoimmune disease.

When people with coeliac disease ingest gluten their own body attacks the lining of their stomach and bowel. Short term it causes symptoms like stomach ache, vomiting, diahorrea and headaches. Long term it causes stomach and bowel cancer, spleen issues and extreme osteoporosis.

It's not a choice, it's akin to a severe allergy. The only difference is it kills slowly and painfully, not instantly like anaphylaxis.

No, the problem is that they need to provide food people can actually eat. Otherwise they are going to make themselves even busier, aren't they, when they have to rehydrate people and keep them in longer because the unsuitable food has made them shit through the eye of a needle?

OP I am so sorry, this is completely unacceptable.

I unfortunately had a similar (but not exclusively food focused) issue in hospital on a section in October.

I was sectioned in October in Scotland. I had been begging for MH services and a medication review for 18months. A consultant who I had never met, came into my house while I was sleeping (with 4 other people, did not wait for police, completely illegal). They said I was a danger to myself with no evidence of this other than regular proactive requests for access to Social Services (I am autistic) and a medication review (I had been on an off license anti-psychotic for depression and anxiety for TWO years without review and side effects).
I am incredibly reclusive and I suffer from ARFID as well as various serious sensory issues. They refused to call me an advocate (it was day 6 they finally did). They refused to give me my section paperwork (my legal right and something I requested immediately - It was posted to me WEEKS later). I wasn't allowed headphones to regulate away from noise. I was in a ward with several very volatile men and a police presence (I am a young woman with a horrific history of traumatic abuse). I could not leave my room. I didn't sleep for 5 days until they sedated me to sleep. At one point I begged a nurse to read over my health passport, and read over some of the guidance from NICE and Autism Charities on best practice with Autistic inpatients. They point blank refused - my visitor at the time thankfully witnessed this.
I didn't see a doctor for review for 8 days. In those 8 days I did not eat (no 'safe' foods available, as a child and in my teens I was on a feeding tube as my eating is so restrictive, so this was not a small issue). On day 8 the consultant and the MDT admitted they had no grounds to section me and I was free to leave.

8 days of hell, no sleep and no food. I was admitted while proactively seeking services, and discharged with a truly deep fear of hospitals and doctors. I am scared of my house (they entered illegally), and terrified to go back to MH services at all despite clearly needing them badly. I have also gone from the best place I have ever been with food, to the worst - and my diet has shrunk to 3 items.

I have been home for 2 1/2 months-ish, and in that time I have had no medication review, no appointment, no follow up, no letter (other than the section paperwork) and no phone calls. No contact made at all. I have directly requested to be referred privately (I have money saved for this), but the NHS refuse despite a private hospital being willing to take over my treatment (the currently non-existent stuff!).
I was baselessly detained, frightened more than I have ever been and treated like shit.

I am stunned and horrified at the posters saying a gluten free diet is a fad, it is a medical necessity and you are in hospital. I am also horrified at those choosing to use this platform to trivialise vegetarianism and the likes, these are protected beliefs and unless these posters think religious diets should not be accommodated - they are hypocrites. (But both are protected by law in the same manner).

If you happen to be in Scotland, give me a message. I am really sorry you are in this position and I would advise you contact PALS or PASS as relevant to your location. Ask for an independent mental health advocate if you think this would help you. They wont contact until Monday now but you are absolutely entitled to one asap who will advocate ONLY for you.

You can appeal the section if you think it is unwarranted, you will get a solicitor for free for this but you may need to find one yourself as the hospital will likely be reluctant to put you in touch - If you do this you can expect an appointment asap along with an independent doctors assessment within a week, and a Tribunal very quickly.
Assuming this is where you need to be, if you ask for paperwork for a 'named person', you can list a person of your choice here to advocate for your care (or release) while sectioned. They have a different role than next of kin but can be the same person. This may give a family member of yours a better starting point to come in and insist they feed you. Food is not a luxury.

Jesus Christ it's like dystopia, and half of the posters here seem to think it's FINE!!!! The NHS is in a crisis like never before and minimising the dire state of it, and the dire care received is as batshit as I have heard in ages.
I hope you can get some sleep tonight and see your family tomorrow. You CAN order food into the ward and you can have extra brought and ask for it to be put in a fridge for you to have at mealtimes.

i can’t eat from a vegan diet sheet or I’d end up very ill and back in hospital which I fear these days because I’m not catered for at all and they think they can remove my property from me as they know better when they actually don’t

a lot of vegan foods is processed to death and not actually that good for you to be honest and the main staple for vegans other than fruit and veg is pasta, rice and pulses which I can’t eat at all as I’d not be able to leave the toilet for days.

so no not all can eat a vegan diet. Maybe if a short stay in hospital but long term nope wouldn’t work for some.

@Balloonsandroses I hope you get some food that you can eat and soon.

Does this actually happen though? There must be a tiny minority where someone has a genuine dietary requirement, and can't go and get food from the cafeteria etc, order food, get someone to bring them food etc? It's probably the 80/20 rule. Less in this case. It's not good, but it's also not surprising, especially in the current climate

But it’s not healthier. It’s lacking in several essential amino acids, calcium at B12. Most vegans women lack iron too.
most vegans I’ve encountered eat loads of processed crap. If you do just turn the packet over next time you buy something and look at the ingredients.
as I’ve said - catering to a nutritionally poor diet is no way sImilar to an auto-immune disease.

which Hospitals don’t cater for common dietary requirements? I don’t know any, perhaps people could name what was on the menu? What they can’t do is provide infinite choice for people who don’t like or choose not to eat this, that and the other. There’s lots of naturally gluten free foods

Good nutrition is important for recovery, let alone being fed food that actively makes patients ill. It really is ridiculous.

When I worked at the Royal Marsden (quite a few years ago) the food was wonderful, and they had a snack menu that patients could order food at any time. I always remember the melon being cut up decoratively and topped with a cherry. Cancer patients need tempting food and that little bit of presentation was just a nice touch!

In mental health wards it is shockingly common. People not given access to food they can or will eat, and this then can and sometimes is used as a sign of lack of capacity or ability to care for themselves, to them keep them in hospital longer - all the while not eating.

Knew you were going to be a coeliac before I even clicked on this.

I'm so sorry OP the last thing you need at an already stressful time is worrying about if they'll have anything you can eat (and in my experience if what they say you can eat is actually edible!) can they store you some micro meals in a staff fridge maybe as a solution? M&S do some surprisingly nice ones.

Am also T1 diabetic. I always refuse to hand over my insulin and do my own bgs (libra). If I'm conscious no way in hell am I letting some random nurse with little diabetic training and likely no experience decide how much of a medication that can kill me I'm going to have. I also take my own hypo stuff and just quietly deal if needed

I've found the the issue is if you are admitted later on after food has been served. Most of what is stocked after that is things like sandwiches.
Generally the main menu will have something suitable on but you have to be on the ward to order it in the first place.

I work in a specialist unit, we don't have a kitchen, our menus get sent to kitchen at another hospital and we have to order 2 days in advance.
Hopefully they can sort something for you ASAP.

What they can’t do is provide infinite choice for people who don’t like or choose not to eat this, that and the other.

The words of someone who doesn't realise that genuine allergies can cover more than one food group. I'm the least fussy eater in the world. I eat every single food that I'm not allergic to. I did not choose to be allergic to the four common allergens that I am.

I'm not vegan but I absolutely believe that every menu should have a vegan option on it. Veganism is not fussiness or following fads.

YANBU but they don’t give a shit. I have food allergies and by the time I went in to the labour ward I had already been in labour at home for two days, and had been in too much pain with contractions to eat. By the time I gave birth I hadn’t eaten for over three days. I had major surgery (c section) and they had no food available afterwards. I was still paralysed from the epidural and completely unable to go to buy food, and the nurses just shrugged.

The day after my surgery they still gave me no food. I could barely walk and was hooked up to machines so couldn’t go to buy food. In the end I passed out and they gave me sugar syrup which they give to diabetics, which woke me up - but still no food. It was later that evening when a cleaner personally brought me something to eat. Very kind but it’s not up to a fucking cleaner to feed me, it’s absolutely shocking!

I remember a news story where an elderly lady with dementia was fed her allergens by the NHS whilst in hospital, and subsequently died. It’s a disgrace.

No you're expectations are too low.

Your

My mum always told me that the first day in hospital you always got whatever the previous resident had ordered! So I guess you had a reg eater before you. I am sure they will find you something eventually. Good luck.

It’s ridiculous. I don’t even have any dietary requirements but the food was missing so many vitamins, veg, fats, oil and salt that after about two weeks I thought I was going to die of scurvy or low blood pressure or something.

I begged them to please cook something decent so they allowed us in the kitchen and I doused pasta in olive oil, tomatoes, a block of cheese and generous salt. Felt instantly better!

Expectations v's reality hey?
Yes you SHOULD be able to get a specific diet. Of COURSE you should.
But the tories have fucked our NHS.
I hope someone can bring you some food tomorrow OP.

That seems odd - when DH was admitted as an emergency I took his meds in but they only wanted one that wasn't available at the pharmacy.
But if the meds were available because your husband brought them it seems ridiculous not to use them.

There's no joined up thinking between medical need & hospital food.

There’s no joined up thinking in the NHS, full stop. Such a pity and such a waste of both resources and opportunities.

I’m very aware of this 😆
I didn’t mention allergens. I spoke about people who want infinite choice for their taste in food. If there’s an option that you can eat you may just have to have that. There may only be one option if you have multiple allergies.

Exactly, it's a hospital. How are people supposed to get well if they don't have food that they can eat? Where do you think people get diagnosed with coeliac diease? Is she supposed to starve?