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?

YANBU it's poor manners to eat smelly food in public IMHO especially the waiting room in a medical facility.

This reminds me when I was waiting to see the diabetes midwife one time (granted it was over lunch time) and the woman in front of me was eating a KFC.

By this point I had given up all sugar and most of the nice carbs and my blood sugars were still too high.

I was bloody starving and still suffering from a lot of sickness brought on by strong smells. Half of me wanted to poke her in the eye and the other half of me wanted to ask her to share!!!

Really, NO excuse? Show me a sandwich shop that will deliver at 11pm

...and nakd bars as the Health Board has a healthy eating policy, which is fine, but a nakd bar isn't a meal

And it's not healthy either.

Well, I think smelly hot food shouldn't be consuming in a hospital waiting room.

That said, what we should really be angry about is A and E waiting times - I'm abroad and went to A and E last year with a broken hand and was still clutching a water bottle and sandwich when I went in and they told me not to drink or eat until I'd been seen in case I needed operating. Because (a) they knew I'd get seen before too long and (b) if I did need an operation they knew it might happen that day.

People shouldn't have to even think about eating in the waiting room, and that's what we should be mad about the most.

Exactly.

And as someone with a food intolerance often McDonald's or burger king is all I can eat.

11pm?

And does gluten free, or dairy free!

My nearest hospital has a kfc and a McDonald's within 15 mins walk/couple mins drive. No corner shops, no alternatives unless you go into town which is 20 mins drive. Remember not everyone lives in big cities.

The cafe and shop are open once in a blue moon since covid.

I wouldn't love it but I can understand it

Completely agree- as a former AE nurse you'd be astonished by the behaviour of some people.

There are plenty of food that doesn’t smell like a greasy kfc. I can’t imagine being in a & e and being well enough to eat kfc.
Lots of people don’t think of others, sadly.

Yep. Only rude, thoughtless anti social, dragged-up people would think this was acceptable

People aren't in hospital for a jolly. They're unwell and stinking food can tip many over the edge

All these people saying its inappropriate to eat hot food around sick people, what about when you're actually on a hospital ward? You are generally served hot meals while surrounded by other unwell people. I've never heard anyone say that's antisocial... Is that because hospital food is so insipid that it doesn't smell enough for anyone to get upset about?

I cannot be the only one that thinks that eating, any food, in a hospital waiting area is just unhygenic, can I? Both for the patients and for the eater.

If you have been there for 10 hours and feel faint with hunger and really, really cannot stand it any longer, maybe advise the receptionist and nip to the cafeteria to eat something quick. Otherwise, no way would I eat anything while there.

It's mainly because 9/10 on a ward someone will use the commode for a 💩 just before meal times..

I would have just been jealous 😋 It’s awful waiting when you’re starving. I was once taken to A&E and put into a side bay following several seizures. DH couldn’t come as it was during Covid and had forgotten to pack any drinks or snacks. I was so damn hungry and all I got was a dry cheese sandwich, a packet of biscuits and two cups of tea. I could have chewed my arm off. If someone had been eating a KFC the other side of the curtain I’d have probably cried 😂

U have too much time on yr hands if u find it an issue.

You've gotta be pretty fucking wet to get upset about such things I reckon

Well, I arrived at 8am. By 11pm I was pretty damned desperate and if I had thought of getting an ubereats delivery I probably would have done. I very definitely needed to be in A&E (as evidenced by the 8 days on a ward and 3 weeks on a virtual ward following this), but it wasn't for anything that made me not want to eat. I only got the dry sandwich on the ward the next day as I broke down in tears I was so hungry and literally begged for some toast (their toaster wasn't working).

This post shows a woeful ignorance of the reality of many A&E departments in 2024, I'm afraid. 10 hours? Cafeteria? 😂

There's a lot worse behaviour (especially in A&E on a Saturday night) than eating food. Some people have to wait a long time and eating is necessary.

Not unreasonable at all, with lengthy waits people need to eat and take away is probably the only option.

I was assuming a hospital setting, so yes, cafeteria.

Still, no cafeteria? Then go out to a nearby newsagents or similar and eat a cereal bar or something. Outside.

I feel there's a great opportunity for a new business idea! 24/7 sandwich/non smelly food shop in or opposite a&e.

YANBU. Smelly KFC? In an area full of poorly people and germs? No way.

You cant just go wandering away when you're sitting there hoping to be called any moment. Not everyone has someone who can go with them. And while I was well enough to eat, I was NOT well enough to go wandering around.

My local a & e has one cafe within walking distance, open between 9 am and 4 pm. There is a cafe in the hospital itself, which closes at 7 pm. There are no other shops nearer than a 30 minute walk away, which is likely to be unachievable for many people. If you found yourself hungry in a&e when the cafes were shut, even if you were well enough with sufficient mobility, you wouldn't want to leave your place in the queue for 1 hour to walk there and back. KFC delivery sounds like a plan in that situation tbh.