St James's Hospital not offering hot meals to patients on trolleys
St James's Hospital in Dublin is defending its policy of not providing hot meals to patients on trolleys.
The crisis hit record levels on Monday when 714 people across the country were waiting for beds.
St James's says it doesn't offer meals to patients in the Emergency Department for health and safety reasons.
However, consultant dietitian with Nutrionwise, Richelle Flanagan, says management should be making arrangements for those on trolleys.
Ideally if someone is in for 26 hours they should get the same meal that someone who is in hospital is getting.
"It seems that trolley crisis seemed to come out of the blue but really they should be planning with the catering department in the hospital to manage also the nutritional needs of the people in the emergency department," she said.
