Eating Takeaway In A Hospital Waiting Room Do You See It As Unreasonable

[Warrior96]

So long story short I ended up with an infected ear piercing and had to see an out of hours doctor at the hospital. My life medical problems always seem to happen on a Saturday or Sunday! Due to it is known to be a nasty infection I was admitted onto the ears nose and throat ward, it was average time 5-6 hours to see a doctor it took me 5 hours. In the meantime in the waiting room a couple sat next to me bought a KFC into the waiting room. I can understand people can get hungry with the long wait but there were a number of nauseous people in that waiting room. I feel they were being a bit selfish and could have bought something more appropriate.

AIBU?

Why would she have to eat something like hot fried chicken as opposed to, say, sandwiches which would be less problematic for other sick people?

I was admitted to the emergency assessment unit a couple of years ago at 11am, was released at 1am. Had nothing to eat apart from a small cake bar that I had in my bag, and nothing was offered- plus the hospital cafe was closed. I was absolutely starving and felt so much worse. I can't blame people for ordering food if there's none available in the hospital!

Exactly the same the other day with a really stinky bag of McDonalds..
unbekievably
as it was night time the hospital actually redirected patients to the McDonald's for snacks!! A vending machine would have been better!

Because often fast food is all that's available 24/7.

Depends if they have a choice of where to get food. The only two places in quick walking distance from our A&E are KFC and a chip shop.

The hospital shop closes at 4pm, same as the tearoom and there is literally one vending machine that has crisps and sweets in it and it's often empty. Last time we took DD in it had monster munch or wotsits left, one pack of each.

So it's very common to see people eating KFC while waiting. It's better, smell wise, than the chip shop.

If these people could access a KFC, presumably walking to the hospital café would if anything be easier. IME hospital vending machines do now tend to sell more substantial snacks, not least for the benefit of the staff.

I'm not sure why you've quoted me. My mother wasn't eating KFC : S.

If the hospitals want to control the food consumed perhaps they should offer to feed patients waiting for beds to become available?

It really wouldn't.

McDonald's gets a lot of abuse but it's not actually bad food, and at least somewhat balanced, unlike a vending machine which usually only have crisps, sweets and chocolate!

Many hospital cafes close on an evening so you can't use them.

It's a hell of a stretch to assume that hot smelly fried chicken was the only food available.

If it’s banned on ours, some people evidently take no notice.
TBH I have no hesitation in applying the ‘chav’ word to people who not only take smelly fast food on buses, but also leave their greasy, smelly rubbish behind.

KFC knocks me sick so I’d be annoyed 🤣🤣 if it was McD’s I wouldn’t care

If these people could access a KFC, presumably walking to the hospital café would if anything be easier. IME hospital vending machines do now tend to sell more substantial snacks, not least for the benefit of the staff.

In both of the hospitals in our area the cafes don't open on weekends and close at 4pm during the week.

I doubt they were selling fried chicken or spicy food, though. There's a difference between, say, a heated up pasty and deep fried chicken and chips.

Eating hot smelly food is very unreasonable.

A sandwich would have been ok but KFC 🤢

Having spent many hours in hospital waiting rooms, its the last kind of food i would eat

Anecdotally I had a 4 night stay in a hospital for surgery on my badly broken ankle. The food there was dire, except for the curry. That was delicious.

I was an in-patient a few years ago and a visiting family used to bring in takeaways to eat while they sat with their relative - pizza, burgers, drinks, all sorts. They also sat on the floor and her bed, sharing and eating:-). It was quite funny. I agree it isn't appropriate, a drink and a sandwich would be OK but not a meal and nothing smelly.

Where are you getting the sandwich if the cafe and shop are closed, and there's nothing else available apart from fast food?

I absolutely hate KFC but people have to eat something and since Covid a lot of hospitals just don't have anything available, especially on an evening.

A relative of mine spent more than 24hours in A&E last year while waiting for a bed. Somewhat to my surprise a trolley of hot food was wheeled in at meal times and the patients in the cubicles and corridors did get fed. Not the relatives though obviously and I doubt the waiting room (which was spilling out into the street) was included.

If someone's having to wait for 5 hours plus then they're going to need to eat. You can't just expect people in those situations to starve. It's very common for people to have to eat in waiting areas and A&E. I know fast food smells aren't the best but just ignore it.
I've eaten McDonald's chips before in that situation. I've seen people eating full meals of chicken and rice brought from home. I admired them for their organised planning skills.

But isn’t it slightly different to bring it into an A&E waiting room and bringing it into a ward?

So walking to an alternative to KfC is likely also to be just as easy. A hell of a lot of corner shops that are open late sell sandwiches, sausage rolls etc. See also the bit about hospital vending machines.

To say nothing of the fact that most people have come to their nearest hospital and could pick something up from home rather than flogging out to KfC.

Are people walking through? Because I wasn't allowed to leave EAU to get anything. If I'd been able to order delivery to me I'd absolutely have done it.

My nearest hospital with A&E is ten miles/about 20 min drive away so I don't think nipping home for food is as easy as you're making out for a lot of people!

I’d have previously said U, but not too long ago had to order chips, the only thing I could get delivered as there wasn’t a vending machine and it had been hours and hours of waiting and I really needed something to eat. With how long waits are not, I’m not surprised people order.