Night-time closures of hospital canteens is creating an unhealthy workforce of “Deliveroo Docs”.
Hungry medics are turning to fast food delivery apps to help get them through long late shifts.
Doctors, nurses and support staff working late and at weekends say they have to use the likes of Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats as hospital catering is often based around regular office hours.
But they warn the junk food could take its toll.
Junior doctor Mike Kemp, of the British Medical Association, said: “The right to a healthy meal should be a given, but the experience of many doctors is that hot, nutritious food is often a luxury.
“Lacking access to regular, healthy meals takes a toll on staff and leads to feelings of burnout.”
Doctors Association UK said: “We’re not asking for MasterChef in every hospital, but hungry people are not at their best. And hot food is the best food.”
The National Obesity Forum is calling for extra funding to ensure medics get proper meals.
Spokesman Tam Fry said: “Making staff dependent on junk food is awful.
“We have 700,000 medical staff already overweight. We should take care of their health so they can take care of ours.”
The No Hungry NHS Staff campaign found almost nine out of 10 workers on 12-hour shifts have no access to hot meals.
The Institute of Health & Social Care Management said reasons given by trusts included cost and staffing. And it revealed streams of fast food deliveries mean security teams get diverted from normal duties as they make sure medics get their food.
The Department of Health said it wants NHS staff “to have access to healthy nutritious meals at all times” and is working on “a number of innovations and pilots”.
It added NHS England is updating “the NHS Food and Drink Standards to drive up quality”.
