Sandwell General Hospital is currently deciding whether to change its supplier of halal food over concerns that the food might not be up to standard. There was a clash of board room members at the West Bromwich based hospital, with some bosses being accused of indecisiveness and not doing enough to ensure halal food was good enough and with satisfactory options.
Waseem Zaffar first raised the issue a year ago and said he was unhappy about a lack of progress regarding the halal options menu. Since then there has been a lack of progress in getting the food options for Muslim patients improved. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that many suppliers in the Midlands provide halal ingredients but not ready made meals. Cooking meals in-house would add to costs and require hospital kitchen upgrades and changes.
As such, trust bosses are currently said to be looking into “all options” for sourcing food. They have since struck a deal to source local milk and fish, saving a reported £40,000.
Zaffar said: “I am very disappointed with the response this trust has taken.
“We all agreed we would do what we can to create an environment as whole as possible for all our patients.
“We provide halal food but the standard doesn’t provide a homely environment we want to provide. I apologise for sounding irate but I don’t see any movement from 12 months ago.”
