Spending on patients' meals shows a £4 gap

The vast differences in spending on patients' food in hospitals in the West Midlands region have been revealed today.

Spending at some hospitals in the region was more than £9 per meal in 2009-10 while others dipped under £5.

Top spender was Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust which shelled out £9.36 per meal but Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust allocated £4.78 per meal. Second highest was the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, spending £8.40 per meal.

The figures, released by the NHS Information Centre, showed that Walsall Manor Hospital paid out £6.54 per patient.

All the hospitals have increased funding for meals since 2007-08 when the least spent was £3.16 per meal, by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust.