THE problems of poor hospital food would not be solved simply by throwing £40million at them, the author of a major report said recently.

The report, published by the Audit Commission, said that hospitals are wasting more than £18 million a year on food because of widespread bad practice and poor standards.

But the problems would not be solved by money alone.

"Around a third of trusts need to manage their resources better," said the commission's controller. Sir Andrew Foster.

"These are not problems that will be solved by throwing money at them.

"The commission is helping trusts to identify where they need to improve, and to put those changes in place."

He said that better information and cost control could help many trusts release more resources to deliver improvements.

The report also found that

reducing wastage from unserved meals alone could save 10 per cent of the

food cost for each patient each day.

According to the Audit Commission report, 23 per cent of NHS trusts are even failing to screen new patients in order to identify their dietary needs.

In 41 per cent of trusts, dieticians cannot see all patients referred to them.

And many patients, especially the elderly, are not getting the basic help they need to eat -- whatever the menu.

The new fare was launched recently in a blaze of publicity -- with cous-cous, olive oil mash and navarin of lamb among the offerings.

But according to the Audit Commission its the basics which need addressing.

And putting £40million into the cooking pot will not solve problems like food being served cold.

Two years ago a report said hospital food was so poor that many patients came out feeling worse and weighing less than when they went in.

Experts in hospital nutrition called for an overhaul of the way food was prepared and delivered to the bedside.

The British Association for Experts in Hospital Nutrition claimed many patients who were already malnourished deteriorated when they went in to hospital.

More than half of the food served was thrown away at huge cost as patients found it unpalatable, it said.

The group called for a change in culture, arguing that food should be integrated as part of clinical treatment, rather than as a separate hotel service as at present.

To achieve this, it suggested hospitals' catering budgets should be taken away from managers and put in the control of doctors and nurses who look after the patients.

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