A PATIENT has made a renewed attack on the quality of meals dished up at Colchester Hospital.

Graeme Hatton is scathing of the quality of the food and service provided for patients.

Mr Hatton, 67, of Green Way, Colne Engaine, has to make regular trips to the hospital and it also means he often eats there.

One of his major criticisms centres on the service provided and the fact patients aren’t given a choice in what they are served.

He said: “I know it’s a difficult task, but you used to choose from a menu and they’d made enough for the ward, but now it’s outsourced to Severalls Industrial Estate, in Colchester, and you’re told what’s available and it’s sent up.

“There wasn’t enough to go around and I was left with a choice of fish, which I don’t like, or mash and gravy.

“At the moment, they give you what they’ve got and you have no choice in the matter.”

He also criticised the overall quality of the meals.

He added: “It’s not to say the food is always bad, because it isn’t, but when it is bad, it’s disgraceful.

“The food waste is appalling and they aren’t eating it because frankly it’s not very nice.

“Prisoners get fed better than patients now.

“Some meals, I would not feed to my dogs.”

Fiona Sparrow, who is the head of facilities at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital, said staff did care about patients’ choice and nutrition.

She said: “We have previously worked with Mr Hatton after he raised concerns about patient meals at Colchester Hospital and we’re grateful for his recent feedback.

“Since his last stay, we have made changes to our menu, which include some of his suggestions and the menus will be reprinted in due course.

“When patients have specific dietary requirements or requests for what they would like to eat while they are in hospital, we work in conjunction with the patients and ward staff.

“We also take advice from our dietetic team who approve all the menus offered to patients and make sure the nutritional content of the food we serve is compliant with the British Dietetic Association guidelines.”