After being told there was no vegan option for dinner, Jenny said a nurse advised her to go to a vending machine where there may be something vegan, leaving her to eat dry crackers.
STEPHEN WYNN-DAVIES: A vegan patient has spoken of her upset after claiming she was left unwell in a Brighton hospital bed with nothing to eat but ginger nut biscuits. Jenny Skelton, who was suffering from Covid, said she was left lying in a bed at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, with nothing but a flask of tea she had brought from home while those around her ate their dinners. The mother-of-three, who as a vegan does not consume animal products like meat, fish, dairy or eggs, said her stay made her feel like a ‘second class citizen’, particularly in a city ‘where there are so many vegans’…
Jenny said a nurse came round the ward to take everyone’s food order and claimed there was ‘nothing for vegans’. Jenny, who is from Brighton, said: ‘In this day and age, particularly in Brighton where there are so many vegans, it is unacceptable. ‘Why can’t they stock a few frozen vegan meals just in case? ‘I am not supposed to leave until I have been given fluids intravenously and eaten some food but how am I supposed to eat when there is nothing? ‘There are thousands of vegans in Brighton and I feel it is discriminatory not to have anything for us at all’…
After being told there was no vegan option for dinner, Jenny said a nurse advised her to go to a vending machine where there may be something vegan. She said she felt ‘slightly miffed’ about having to pay for her food but was relieved to find a vegan snack in the machine. However, she claims the machine took her money three times without giving her the food, leaving her to eat dry crackers. ‘I didn’t want to come here at all and I am definitely feeling like a second class citizen’, she said. Jenny said a nurse eventually brought her a packet of ginger nut biscuits after telling them they are often ‘accidentally vegan’.
But she said that in 2021, the NHS should be able to cater for vegans at all times of day… She added: ‘Every vegan seems to have had different experiences at this hospital. Some have been given vegan options but many haven’t. ‘My point is though that it would not be difficult to keep a stock of frozen vegan sausage rolls or sandwiches and it isn’t as though non-vegans can’t eat vegan food. ‘I don’t want to make this story about the staff because they are clearly extremely busy and stressed. ‘I think it is about the general policy of not having anything there for vegans.’
Jenny, who has since been discharged from hospital, shared her experience online and vowed to take it up with the hospital… A spokeswoman for the Vegan Society described Jenny’s experience as ‘disappointing and disheartening’. The group suggested ‘veganising’ items for the non-vegan menu, such as jacket potato with beans or a sandwich with cucumber, tomatoes or avocado. The spokesman added: ‘Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be a common occurrence across the NHS as education and understanding around veganism grows, however we still have a long way to go”… The hospital said it offers vegan options ‘365 days a year’ but apologised ‘if, on this occasion, the patient was unable to receive their preferred option’. SOURCE…
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