A PATIENT went without food at a major Suffolk hospital because “he could not speak English very well”, it has been claimed.West Suffolk Hospital has pledged to investigate the claim, which came to light at a meeting of the hospital's Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum, which oversees activities at the hospital.
A PATIENT went without food at a major Suffolk hospital because “he could not speak English very well”, it has been claimed.
West Suffolk Hospital has pledged to investigate the claim, which came to light at a meeting of the hospital's Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum, which oversees activities at the hospital.
Although the patient's identity and exact details of the case remain unclear, a publication of minutes from a recent meeting of the PPI revealed “a patient in hospital did not get fed because he could not speak English very well (therefore could not read the menu)”.
Bosses at West Suffolk Hospital are unable to state whether the allegation was true but pledged to investigate it thoroughly and spoke of the hospital's “disappointment that there is a suggestion that this has happened”.
A spokeswoman for West Suffolk Hospital Trust said: “Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) do provide interpreters to help patients and we are looking into what might have happened in this case.
“Patient welfare is extremely important to us as is patient nutrition, borne out by the fact that in the National Inpatient Survey 2005 we were in the top 20 per cent of trusts in helping patients to eat their meals.”
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