Nicola Sturgeon quizzed during briefing about hospital figures

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She had been waiting for 16 hours for her meal at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent and was shocked when it arrived. After being handed the beans, the catering staff then returned with a jacket potato as well as a packet of butter.

But when the patient opened the packet of butter, she claimed it was empty.

The 42-year-old patient – who chose to remain anonymous – did praise the work and effort which the staff had put in to ensure that the patient was cared for.

But she struggled to ignore how poor the food was at the hospital.

She said: “They just came and plonked a plate of beans in front of me.

“I was in a state of shock. I said ‘is someone having a laugh?’.

“You couldn’t make it up.”

The patient continued: “I pressed my buzzer to complain and made it pretty clear to them how hungry I was in the politest possible way.

“They offered me a salad but by that point I just wanted carbs.

“They then turned up with this jacket potato and an empty packet of butter.

God knows where they’d found this potato.

“I was that blimmin’ hungry by then, I just ate it anyway.

“It tasted pretty awful but I was grateful for it.

“I don’t know how you’re supposed to get better if that’s what they’re feeding you?

“Hospital food is cruddy at the best of times but this was the most pathetic meal I’d ever seen.”

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However, the patient has expressed sympathy for the staff as she said: “I feel so sorry for the staff. They are just rushed off their feet.

“The nurses were really lovely, I couldn’t fault the care, but they don’t have enough bodies to do the work.

“The NHS is at breaking point. They even had to open another Covid ward when I was there.

“Thankfully I’m on the mend now but my baked beans meal is just one example of how over-stretched they are.”

Speaking about the incident, Lorraine Whitehead, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust director of estates, facilities and PFI, said: “We take any complaint or concerns raised by patients or their families seriously; this has been raised with our catering providers to ensure that the food served is delivered to the highest standards possible.”

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