A TRIP to the hospital can be a distressing experience.

The more that can be done to make patients feel relaxed and at ease, the better.

Chief among this is the food served to those staying in wards.

Firstly, a healthy nutritious meal is likely to help someone’s recovery, giving them vitamins, minerals and the like.

Secondly, a hearty warm dinner can feel like a veritable hug for those alone in a strange ward worried about what the doctors will say in the morning.

So the decision to change from fresh cooked food at community hospitals to cook-chill seems as cold as the lamb curry that is likely to be dished up.

It smacks of costs over care.

What is harder to stomach is the decision to make the change seems to have been taken without any consultation with those it will affect.

Not only were the public unaware of this change until we brought it to light, no patients’ groups or liaison committees were involved in discussions it appears.

Only staff who may well now lose their jobs as chefs are replaced with reheaters were consulted.

We deserve better.