Vegan patients in UK hospitals and care homes

[Clare...]

"The Vegan Society has recently produced a catering guide for hospitals and care homes and is able to assist UK vegan patients in obtaining vegan food.

If you would like support or wish to receive a copy of our information sheet, 'Vegans in Hospitals and Care Homes - A Guide', please email info@vegansociety.com or ring 0121 523 1735.

The catering guide is also available for download here (700 Kb)

Please forward to anyone who may be interested."

[harpy]

Thanks for posting this. It sounds like a good initiative.

I'm intrigued about the sort of support/assistance they are going to provide to patients because the main problem I've heard about in hospitals seems to be with staff not understanding what vegans are.

[emzy1985]

I second that Harpy!

[Joeybee]

That's really really good. I hope that hospitals take notice. At the trusts I have worked at in London, all of them have veggie meals that are not vegan, and at the bottom of the menus it always says something like "if you require a special diet due to cultural of religious reasons..." Whereas I doubt that a lot of people would class veganism as either of these. The thought of being hospitalised scares me!

[harpy]

Perhaps we should just officially declare veganism a religion - it would make life simpler in some ways (though not others).

It might be good if there were some kind of advocacy scheme so that vegan patients could get some other vegan to explain their needs to the staff, if they don't feel up to doing it themselves. Maybe that's what the Vegan Society is offering to do?

[emzy1985]

Joeybee - in practice veganism counts as an ethical belief similar to that of a religion according to the equal opportunity at work bill. Believe me I know, I've used it! You can ask for a copy from the vegan society.

Harpy - That would be awesome if they did that. The other night I had to get Emily to explain to them because I was in alot of pain.

[harpy]

I might volunteer for a scheme like that but it would probably need someone like the Vegan Society to co-ordinate it. Perhaps I'll e-mail them and ask what they're thinking of doing, unless Clare can tell us?

[Joeybee]

Emzy i'll try that....but there are a lot of ignorant people, i doubt in a hospital setting that i'd be in a fit state to argue!
I think i will download that guide and stick a load of copies around the ward!

[emzy1985]

Can I ask what hospital you work in JB? Some London hospitals are good. I know from working as a medical courier

[Joeybee]

Guys and tommies, and some of my course mates work at st st georges and kings, and we have found the same sort of thing. Actually there's a private hospital in st Johns wood whihc is really good for providing people with vegan meals.

[emzy1985]

Hammersmith is AWESOME! It has a canteen with the biggest salad bar I've ever seen. It also does pasta meals and can cook on request. The emphasis is on healthy so they don't have alot of cheesey stuff and no red meat the last time I checked. That's how hospitals should be...except vegan!

I've never delivered to your hospital...shame cuz I have your number an' all!

[vegcurry]

I've been into the staff canteen at RCH Treliske in Truro, and if you're lucky you can have chips and beans, if you're unlucky it's just chips.

[emzy1985]

All I could get whilst admitted the other day was crisps and nuts. Woo to the healthyness.

[harpy]

What was up emzy? Hope you're OK now.

[emzy1985]

It's kinda gruesome but in plain turns I had abit of internal bleeding and they couldn't figure out where it was comming from and what was causing it.

I'm ok now though...hardly bleeding at all Three weeks for an appointment to see a specialist. Bring on bupa at my new job!

[flying plum]

joey - from this and another thread, i'm guessing you're at KCL? weird...we must have been there at the same time! i did law, but i know/knew a few medics.

amanda

[Joeybee]

Hammersmith is AWESOME! It has a canteen with the biggest salad bar I've ever seen. It also does pasta meals and can cook on request. The emphasis is on healthy so they don't have alot of cheesey stuff and no red meat the last time I checked. That's how hospitals should be...except vegan!

I've never delivered to your hospital...shame cuz I have your number an' all!

heheh a vegan forum hospital meet-up
Hammersmith sounds good. I hope that they influnce other hospitals in the area.

[Joeybee]

joey - from this and another thread, i'm guessing you're at KCL? weird...we must have been there at the same time! i did law, but i know/knew a few medics.

amanda

Yeah i'm at KCL. one more year to go, yay! What campus are the law students at? Cos i spend most of my time off placement at Waterloo or Guys.

[ellaminnowpea]

Unfortunately here, even if they know what vegan is, they don't give a F#$%

The last few times I was admitted they offered me: beef, veggies w/ butter, and mashed potatoes w/ cheese. I told them I was vegan and they just said "deal with it". Then just walked away.

Uhhh, could it be I was there for two extra days because I was given no edible food? I could barely stand and/or respond to questions cause I was freaking depleted... ARRRRRGGGHHH!

[VeganDaze]

that sucks ellamp. I read that doctors in the US get an average of 2 hours nutrition training. I doubt if it's much better here, if at all. It's so silly

Hope you are well now anyhoo, and Emzy too!

[AnneCE]

Last year my father had surgery for stomach cancer (doing ok now!) and they put him on these build up drinks and an overnight NG tube to get his weight up for the surgery, and afterwards when he couldn't drink or eat for weeks. It was all milk based. It made me a bit freaked out because I worried that there were no vegan alternatives to ingesting lots of dairy and what if, (being a hypochondriac) it was me? Does anyone know if there are vegan supplements and feeds etc.?

[harpy]

There are vegan protein drinks. I think they're mainly aimed at bodybuilders but they might do for convalescents as well. I did get some for a friend who was ill and was avoiding dairy, and I think she consumed some of them, though without great enthusiasm it has to be said. I didn't try them myself but I think I might still have some somewhere, wonder what I did with them.

[emzy1985]

ellaminnowpea - you would expect better having to pay for it wouldn't you?

I'm feeling alot better thanks Harpy!