"Nil by mouth" should not be the default state.
I recently spent 9 days in hospital at the mercy of the NHS. The staff were really wonderful, the drugs rocked, the room was clean-ish, and the place was much warmer than my house. The problem? This:


I'm resorting to pictures because words cannot accurately portray the abysmal standards of NHS catering. That's my dinner. Cheese, peas, and a carton of orange juice labelled "for hospital use only". I lost 4lb in weight in my time there, which wasn't great considering I am 5 months pregnant and hungry on an hourly basis.

If your loved ones are in hospital, forego the flowers. Bring them food: a flask of soup, a sandwich, enough fruit to open their own greengrocers, or (thank you, sister of mine) pancakes with lemon and sugar on Shrove Tuesday.

Also, if you're getting injections of pethidine, ask for a chaser of phenergan to stop you copiously vomiting up the cheese and peas into those cute cardboard sick bowls.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 14:56, 10 replies)

When my grandfather was in hospital
My Dad and his brother bought him a four-pack of Guinness. He looked pleased.
(LongJohnBaldry, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 15:00, closed)

I don't see the problem?
I took the exact same ingredients onto Ready Steady Cook and Ainsley made me a brilliant dinner.
( Dervel OTBC, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 15:02, closed)

Peas? And Cheese?
Cheesy Peas! The new sensation!
(porkylips looks better as the sun goes down., Thu 11 Mar 2010, 15:16, closed)

Woop!

( snee held his breath since, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 16:19, closed)

A friend of mine was in hospital, so we took him Flowers...
... IPA. It didn't get put into a vase.
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 15:18, closed)

I spent 10 days in hospital with a broken elbow...
eating minced turkey, stale bread, warm yoghurt and no drinks.

My parents were kind enough to travel 40 odd miles every day to bring me food.
( Bamboo Steamer, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 15:20, closed)

My local hospital
Hinchingbrooke may have given me MRSA, nut the food was absolutely superb.
( snee held his breath since, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 16:18, closed)

Seems
to me that the NHS caterers have been taking menu advice from the Fast Show.
(Andino, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 16:33, closed)

Hospital food does indeed suck
So much so that we smuggled my friend out to McDonalds when she was admitted and on the way back she insisted on going to Sainsburys to buy supplies to keep her going.
( Poppy The Platypus was abducted by an army of toast soldiers on, Thu 11 Mar 2010, 16:47, closed)

hospital food
i used to bring my old dad in those cans of double gin and tonic and a tube of pringles. He used to save me his floppy teatime bread sandwiches and bowl of powdered leek soup in return.

bless him.
(a girl called harry, Mon 15 Mar 2010, 16:49, closed)