NHS Hospitals forking out less than £5 a day on patients' meals

Patients in some NHS hospitals are being fed and watered for just 86p a meal, according to new figures.

More than 30 hospital trusts - almost one in 10 of the total - spend less than £5 a day on breakfast, lunch and dinner for each patient in their care.

But the figures compiled by the NHS Information Centre also revealed an alarming disparity in what is spent on patients around the country.

Among those spending the least were Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust which forked out just £2.57 a day, Harrow Primary Care Trust (£2.75), North Somerset PCT (£2.76), North West London Hospital NHS Trust (£3.13) and Herefordshire PCT (£3.66).

But Wiltshire PCT spent the most on nourishing its patients each day with £22.31, followed by Kirklees PCT (£19.81), University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (£17.46) and Cumbria Teaching PCT (£17.85).

The figures were published a day after a report by the independent Future Forum warned NHS nurses were lacking in compassion and basic skills.

Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association told the Daily Telegraph that it was "vitally important" patients got a balanced diet, adding: "Sadly, catering is not seen as a priority by the NHS, but it's a false economy."

The Department of Health said Government buying standards include criteria to reduce salt, fat and sugar content and increase the amount of fruit, vegetables, fibre and oily fish on offer.

It pointed out that the amount of money hospitals spend on food had gone up over the past five years, with the average at £6.53 per patient per day in 2005-06, compared to £8.58 in 2010-11.

Health minister Simon Burns said: "All patients deserve basic standards of care when they are in hospital and good food is one of them.

"We have set binding standards for good hydration and nutrition as part of a hospital's registration with the regulator."