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Patients in UK hospitals are so unhappy with the food provided that 25% purchase their own or ask friends and relatives to bring in meals for them, a survey claims.
One in three people said they were dissatisfied with the quality of food they received during a recent stay in hospital, the consumer organisation Which? found.
Some 27% complained taht the portions were too small, while more than a third said they did not like the type of meals on offer.
The study also revealed that 38% did not feel mealtimes matched when they were able or wanted to eat.
But it is not just patients who have a dim view of the food on offer, as around one in five members of staff in hospitals said they would be unhappy to eat the meals.
Clare Corbett, health campaigner at Which?, said: “Our research provides yet more evidence that patients and NHS staff are unhappy with hospital food. So why isn’t it getting any better?
“It would seem silence is anything but golden when it comes to hospital care. Patients with serious concerns don’t speak out because they don’t think it’ll change anything, or they’re afraid it might compromise their care.
“To put a stop to the hunger on our wards, hospitals must do more to encourage patients to give feedback, and act on what they say.”
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