INVESTIGATION – Shack News Editorials & Commentary.

NICE BRANDING – SHAME ABOUT THE HOSPITAL FOOD THEY PROVIDE.

The voice of a nobody in praise of NHS workers and the involvement of ISS in our critical healthcare.

No matter how hard one may try to find shortcomings in the Medical, Trauma, Orthopedic, or Emergency Services provided by the NHS staff, it would be a futile endeavor. From my own experience, they have consistently been the reliable presence during our most critical health moments.

In my humble opinion, the frontline staff are flawless in their caregiving duties, with rare exceptions such as the occasional tragedies inherent in high-pressure environments or the exceedingly rare instances when a service member falls short of the Hippocratic Oath.

This article is based on a very recent personal experience, not secondhand or anecdotal information. I’m writing this draft from my hospital bed, where I’ve been a patient in the Gastroenterology Ward for five days, two of which I spent on Morphine to alleviate the excruciating pain caused by a condition I had contracted – Colitis, commonly known as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It’s a debilitating condition that I’ve unfortunately come to understand at great personal cost.

I arrived at the A & E at 5 am, brought in by a taxi arranged by the Ambulance service. After examination by the on-call doctor, I was urgently admitted due to the critical nature of my condition. To give you an idea of the pain I was enduring, it felt as if I had ingested battery acid, slowly corroding me from the inside. I was in utter agony. This was during the height of the Covid-19 epidemic, adding extra burdens to an already overworked and understaffed NHS team.

What struck me most was the subtleties of their caregiving that went beyond their duty. Gastroenterology problems are incredibly embarrassing for first-time sufferers who must confront their privacy vulnerabilities and embarrassment openly before strangers. The most intimate and personal actions that we all perform daily and privately suddenly become public. The sensitivity with which this matter was handled still fills me with gratitude today.

While in a daze from the effects of Morphine and being settled into my room, a nurse spoke a few reassuring words that still resonate with me today: “Do not feel embarrassed, we are here to take care of you.” When you’re on opiates and a Paracetamol drip, food is the last thing on your mind. So, the first two days of pain overrode any hunger pangs.

When my wonderful caregivers eventually advised me that I needed nutrition, what awaited me was a disappointing selection of food items, courtesy of a private provider of facilities services. These services, once managed in-house by NHS nutritionists, also include security and cleaning, and cost taxpayers close to £1 billion pounds annually. It’s quite the lucrative arrangement if you can get it.

A NUTRICIOUS MEAL FOR GASTRO INTEROLOGY PATIENTS COMPLIMENTS OF – ISS FACILITIES & MEDINA CATERING SERVICES.

I made a point of informing the medical staff who deemed it unacceptable and was asked if I would like to speak with the catering manager of the company ISS who recoiled in equal horror as she witnessed for herself what the images above show. I said ” Do you not think this looks like the remnants on the floor of an abatoir”? to which she was profusely apologetic and replied, ” I am so sorry, this is wholly unacceptable and unforgiveable, please accept my apologies and I will rectify this for you by sending up a menu from the hospital staff restaurant for you to choose all your meals from for the duration of your stay.”