A gravely-ill bloke took shocking photos of the 'three stone-cold fish fingers' he claims he was served for dinner while in hospital - that even left staff 'laughing in disbelief'. Daniel McGuire was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital after suffering with pneumonia and sepsis, and says he was warned he could have died.
The 32-year-old claims it was in one of the respiratory wards where he was served 'three fish fingers' one night and on another occasion given dirty cutlery with 'someone else's custard' on it. Daniel, who doesn't currently work, claims he was also served half curry half hot pot on one occasion after they 'ran out of food' while another patient was given 'just rice'.
Meanwhile, doctors were warning him that he must gain weight to ensure he could survive the terrible illness - yet he only had these 'disgusting' meals. Yet by the time he had been discharged from hospital, Daniel claims he had lost two stone.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who manage Royal Preston Hospital, has now admitted the mix-up with Daniel's order was due to 'a lack of communication' between their ward and catering teams.
Daniel, from Preston, Lancashire, said: "There was one night I was waiting for my tea. The guy brought it over and he was laughing. He said 'I'm sorry but this is your tea'. There were just three fish fingers stone-cold on the plate.
"I think he was in disbelief himself. He didn't really know what to say to me. There'd been a mess up with the menu. They'd either lost the menus or whatever. They'd basically run out of food.
"I'd been given dirty cutlery with someone else's custard still on the spoons. I complained there and then about the dirty cutlery and got told 'oh well it happens'. I think that was one of the assistants that fill up your water and that sort of stuff.
"[My partner] Sarah [Howden, 35] ended up smuggling me something in otherwise I would have ended up not eating all day. One day I got a curry with hotpot as well. They'd done it quite a few times and didn't have enough food. If they didn't have enough food that's what you got. Someone got just rice [on one occasion]."
Daniel, who suffers from a functional neurological disorder and has a tumour on his pelvis, had been rushed into hospital and claims he was told he was 'lucky he didn't die at home' due to the severity of his condition. Despite his weight dropping and doctors telling him to eat to put on some weight, Daniel claims his complaints about the food 'fell on deaf ears'.
Daniel said: "I saw a GP who thought I had burst appendix and they rushed me to hospital. I was really sick. They did a scan and it turned out I had sepsis, pneumonia and empyema [an accumulation of pus]. They said I was lucky I didn't die at home because it was that bad.
"I was in hospital for a month altogether. I was ill and there was one day where my oxygen levels dropped. I was struggling to breathe really bad. I spent a week in intensive care then went back up to the ward. After I'd come out of intensive care, I lost about 6kg. By the end of it, I'd lost about two or three stone.
"The doctor kept telling me I had to eat to keep my weight up and get better. I've got to be careful because there's a lot of people who love the NHS and I still receive treatment from the hospital, but I'm passed that point in caring now There's no point putting in a complaint. It'll fall on deaf ears."
After a picture of the meal was shared on social media, one Twitter user branded it 'disgusting' and urged an investigation. The Food Standards Agency has confirmed this issue comes under the remit of the Department of Health and Social Care, which have been contacted for comment.
The NHS Foundation Trust has claimed it takes 'hygiene standards very seriously' and urged Daniel to contact PALS if he felt his complaint had not been dealt with appropriately.
A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals spokesperson said: "The Trust produces around 80,000 meals per month with inpatients able to select a wholesome meal from a menu in advance, and we take hygiene standards very seriously.
"The system works well for the vast majority of the time and most patients receive the meal they have ordered. Occasionally there is mix-up in the order due to a lack of communication between the ward and the catering team, as was the case here. We understand that this was resolved locally at the time. Where a patient feels that their concern has not been dealt with, we would always encourage them to contact our Patient Experience and PALS team to investigate and identify any future learning."
