Breastfeeding mother served unrecognisable meat at Campbelltown hospital

A mother who was on a strict diet while breastfeeding her allergy-prone son has been served up a questionable meal at one of Sydney’s biggest hospitals, highlighting a rise in patients resorting to food delivery services. POLL: WHAT IS THIS MEAT?

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Exclusive: A breastfeeding mother on a strict gluten and dairy-free diet because of her son’s allergies was served a slab of dry unrecognisable meat and two boiled potatoes at a major Sydney hospital while recovering from minor surgery.

Eileen recently underwent a medical procedure at Campbelltown Hospital and had made staff aware of her dietary restrictions.

On the first night of her stay she was served meat slathered in gravy and when she informed them she could not eat gravy, she was told to simply eat the vegetables.

“So I ate the veggies the gravy didn’t touch,” Eileen told The Daily Telegraph.

The meal served to the breastfeeding mum at Campbelltown Hospital. Picture: Supplied

Her recovery post-operation Tuesday evening meant she missed the regular dinner service so special arrangements were made with kitchen staff.

“The nurses were doing the best they could in the circumstances. The kitchen lady who ordered my food was harder to work with,” the mother from Sydney’s south west said.

“I was in hospital for four or five days and they served me whatever meal they had just without the sauce or gravy.

“One of the meals even smelled like cat food”.

Eileen joked about using Uber Eats to order a gluten-free pizza, instead settling for hot chips her husband bought.

HealthShare NSW, which looks after patient food, said the meal was “unacceptable”.

“We understand how important it is that all patients get the nutrition they need while in hospital, regardless of their dietary requirements,” a spokesperson said.

“We are contacting the patient to apologise for this unacceptable standard of meal and get their valuable feedback. We are also investigating how this occurred.”

The Daily Telegraph readers took to the website’s Facebook page to share similar stories of being served questionable food while in hospital.

“I was in Campbelltown Hospital for a week last year and the food was disgusting,” Kerrie Baker wrote.

“Luckily my family brought in food for me.”

The issue not confined to Campbelltown Hospital with reader Leigh-Ann Simpson recalling a diabetic friend being served carb-loaded meals at Nepean Hospital despite her condition made known to hospital staff and listed in her file.

“Our local hospital (Tamworth) gets their food pre-packaged from a kitchen in Newcastle. All they do is reheat it,” Anita Manuel wrote.

Campbelltown Hospital where the woman underwent a minor procedure.

Reader Bojana Kandic shared a picture of a dinner her husband was served after a recent stay at Royal North Shore Hospital, while Caroline Handley said a friend who was served a meal in Royal Adelaide Hospital’s emergency department couldn’t tell if it was fish or chicken.

Patients ordering takeaway has become a growing trend with one popular pasta joint regularly delivering food to the nearby Royal Prince Alfred hospital.

The hospital meal served to The Daily Telegraph reader Bojana Kandic’s husband at RNS. Picture: Facebook

Chicken or fish? A meal served at Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: Facebook

Alexi Spyridis, a director of The Italian Bowl in Newtown said they receive hospital orders “pretty much a lot”.

“We get Uber Eats, Menulog and Deliveroo orders to the RPA and more personal orders too where people pick up their food on the way to the hospital,” Mr Spyridis said.

The restaurant alters its menu to suit patients’ different dietary needs with orders frequently made for pasta without salt, garlic, spice and tomato.

The Italian Bowl on King St in Newtown is just minutes from RPA hospital.

“Plain and simple, a lot of them just get the oil and no chilli”.

Mr Spyridis said it’s common for the restaurant to cater for regular customers who spend weeks and months in hospital, many of whom are battling cancer. “We deal with repetitive customers and make alterations. We make them happy!”

University of Sydney’s Dr Nicholas Fuller said breastfeeding mothers needed much more than what Campbelltown Hospital served up for the woman.

“At minimum, it needs a couple of serves of vegetables/salad, and a suitable dairy alternative such as a soy-based yoghurt,” Dr Fuller said.

Dr Nick Fuller.

Patients are resorting to takeaway, using delivery apps to order food to their hospital beds.

“Dairy foods are the richest sources of calcium and are of the highest bioavailability, meaning there is a higher absorption rate of calcium from the food. Someone who is pregnant or breastfeeding should be including plenty of dairy or calcium-enriched plant sources of dairy (such as soy) every day.

“It is also important to include vegetables or salad with every meal, particularly when there are increased nutritional requirements from feeding a baby. These sources of food are high in vitamins and minerals needed for healthy growth and development of the infant.”