to think that meals in hospital shouldn't be free?

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It just seems a bit strange. You'd have to pay for it if you were at home. The cost of feeding hospital patients must be astronomical, and the food (in my quite extensive experience) is pretty crappy. Cheap, badly cooked, and in many cases unsuitable for specific dietry requirements.

Wouldn't most people be happy to pay for their meals, and in return expect to be served appealing, healthy food?

Obviously patients in for extended periods or those on benefits should be offered a free/heavily subsidised option.

It would require some investment to completely change the system - but surely it would save millions in the long-run?

What do you think?

what else could NHS charge for that we wouldn't be using while at home? Electricity? Water? heating?? some laundry???? I think you could be onto something????

The cost of administering a system of payment, a system to ensure any brought in food was safe etc would outweigh any savings.

And (the important question) who would do the washing up???

Yes food is part of health care. Try recovering from illness or injury without adequate nutrition.It will take far longer and may lead to other complications,the cost of treating them will be considerably more than the meal itself.

But it doesn't Rock. It's such crap quality it doesn't assist in healing at all. which is why after 3 weeks in hospital patients need dietitian referrals and supplements (costing x amount more).

3BreastsInMyShirt don't you think that if people have paid for their food they would be more demanding about getting what they wanted?

From my experience the food trolley started at one end of the ward at lunch and the other at tea time - those served towards the end of the line would have the 'like it or lump it' option - I couldn't see that working if people have paid.

Which is why I said,earlier,that improvements need to be made,though it seems the food is good in a number of hospitals,but charging for the food is a step backwards,not an improvement.

'Yes food is part of health care. Try recovering from illness or injury without adequate nutrition.It will take far longer and may lead to other complications,the cost of treating them will be considerably more than the meal itself'

Somebody should tell that to my local hospital then. The food I had when I had DS was fucking vile, tiny quantities, and looked like it had been reheated to lukewarm about 3 times. How on Earth anyone is supposed to recover from child birth, or an operation or serious illness I will never know.

Personally I would gladly pay if it meant getting something that was remotely edible, but I agree that as adequate nutrition is part of the recovery process, then you should not have to!

This is a rediculous idea!

Maybe we should bill patients for the soap and hot water used when they have a bed bath too? What about toilet paper? Use of a gown?

And what exactlty will we class as "food"? Some patients need to fed intraveanously with a special preperation? Will that be billable too? Afterall, they're still "eating" it.

I actually find this idea quite offensive.

I wouldnt mind paying for it.

I can kind of see where you are coming from, but logistically this would be a nightmare to carry out.

they couldn't possibly be more demanding. about everything. at least if they had paid for it they'd have a legitemate reason to be demanding.

food in our local hosp is lush

bill people per hour spent in bed? it'd sort out who could actually get up from those who really can't. then those who really can't get up could get a refund.

I do hope you're joking about that.

Yes good idea totally agree

I have no idea why hospitals currently treat people who are not bedbound. You see loads of children going around in wheelchairs on the GOSH ad, I see no reason why mental health patients require inpatient attention, and elderly people with extreme dementia and no family are far better off at home. I also have never understood why women go to hospital to have babies, when they could do it at home for free.

Good plan.

(I don't think she is joking LTBR)

What shite!!!

Ridiculous idea, do you expect the nurses to operate the till? No money - no food!
The food in my hospital is lovely.

YABU when I cook at home I cook for 5 people so the cost per person is small much less than paying for even a cheap meal at the hospital canteen. If one of us was paying a few pound a day in hospital the people at home would have to go without to cover it. I am guessing that if it were me or my husband in hospital we wouldnt do that to our children so would probably either not eat or just have one meal a day - not great for recovery.

The biggest service users in hospital are the elderly. Many can not afford to eat properly when not in hospital let alone when unwell. Lots do not have family to bring in meals etc. What would you suggest that they do? Starve?

Was going to make exactly Fernie's point.

When I have been in hospital we would have struggled if we'd had to pay for my meals on top of making family meals. On top of the cost that being long term unwell can cause - loss of earnings, transport to hospital, parking etc.

No one wants to be in hospital, as far as I'm concerned being fed comes under 'caring for someone' and we pay for health 'care' through our taxes.

The elderly also pay for their food in a roundabout way in hospital.

If they have been in hospital for a certain amount of time their pensions are cut until they go home.

So do you expect them to pay for their food a 3rd time having already paid in NI contributions and state pension reduction whilst in hospital?

How would you do this? Hospital food is actually carefully planned and cooked to meet people's needs. It isn't that appetising by the time the patient gets it but neither would any other option be.

Also nurses have enough to do looking after patients without taking money for food. How would it be policed? I would find it very hard to take money from the elderly, parents with a child in hospital, terminally ill patients etc.

I would just not collect the money (as I am sure most other nurses would also do). Or knowing the NHS they would employ thousands of food money collectors which would defeat the object of people paying for their food.

Not to mention that for patients with dementia, there is often not the support to make sure they actually eat.

My grandad spent the last few weeks of his life in hospital after breaking his hip. Because he was on the hip replacement ward there were not the nurses to make sure he ate - which he couldn't do himself as he had advanced parkinsons and dementia. Without my mum and my nan providing, quite literally, 24 hour care for him (my nan did the days, my mum was with him for the nights) he wouldn't have eaten at all. We know this, because until my mum took time off work my nan missed mealtimes a few times (at the start when she payed the slightest notice to visitng times and let the nurses take over at that point) and would come in to find the food untouched and about to be removed.

So you'd also be charging vulnerable people to not even eat.

when I was in hospital the food was lovely

YABU because surely if you are going to charge someone eg a £ a meal, you have to pay staff to go around to collect this £1 off each person, or write to them and debt collect for it after they have left. Spread this around the whole of the NHS and rest assured your paying more for staff to administer the scheme than you will be for the "food".

When I was an Inpatient last time I was in a separate room and was very very poorly. I was told by some masked nurse who stuck her head round the door that I should have been eating. Yet another dr told me I wasnt allowed to leave the room due to the potential of other patients catching my mystery illness. Then I was told I had to eat before I could go home. I said Oh im allowed to eat then and allowed out of the room? ( I had nil by mouth for 5 days and on a drip) and been vomiting solidly for 5 days etc.

She said yes, you need to go and get some food from the trolley. I asked what was there, she said "just mash but its from 12pm so it might be a bit cold now?" it was 4.30? I refused, the nurse kicked off at me, my freind came, I managed to get discharged without eating, Id lost over half a stone that week. I got a friend to collect me in a cab and she brought me a covent garden soup, a grainy loaf and a bowl of salad. A hell of a lot better than any food I've seen served in a NHS hospital and I worked in one for 5 years. The staff canteen was rank as hell as well.

Do they still charge you if you throw up when you smell it when it gets wheeled around? 'well you ordered it you have to pay for it'

Could you imagine the complaints that would be rife on wards when people are expected to pay for this slop?

Sorry but if anyone tried to charge me they could take a running jump.

ON the other hand Ive been in for an Outpatients op in bupa and the sandwich I had when I came round after my anaesthetic was one of the best Ive ever had, lovely salad, great quality meat, fruit salad, smoothie. But then I paid for that in the fees I paid for the whole "experience".

Youve also got the rather real risk that people will bring in food instead of paying for it, and leave it unrefrigerated leading to potential for food poisoning and cross contamination. Just imagine!

does anyone remember seeing this documentary
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article419255.ece Horrendous!!

So yes YABU in my view--What next being charged for a glass of water? Or the blue rinse when you wash your mouth out at the dentist. We are already paying for thi s out of taxes!

Hospital food is one of my real "things" did you notice