PATIENTS had a meagre £1.73 spent, on average, on every meal they were given while recovering in Croydon University Hospital last year – the lowest spending per head of hospitals used by Croydon residents.

Figures released last week show the hospital's trust forked out an average of £5.18 a day for three meals and drink for each patient during 2010/11.

In contrast, patients at St Helier Hospital, in Sutton, had more than double that spent daily on their food last year (£11.08), while those at Princess Royal, in Farnborough, and St George's hospitals had £9.06 and £6.80 spent on them respectively.

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has responded by increasing spending this year to £5.96 a day – an average of £1.99 per meal.

But one Croydon nutritionist thinks more still should be invested in hospital food.

Yvonne Bishop-Weston from Foods for Life, an independent nutritionist who works at a clinic in Croydon High Street, told the Advertiser: "It's absolutely not enough.

"I have stayed in Croydon University Hospital twice in the last six years and the food has been appalling.

"I don't know what it is like now but there was no nutritional value in what I had.

"How can people get well unless they have proper nutrition?

"It needs to be a multi-disciplinary approach and it is more difficult to deliver that on lower budgets.

"People in hospitals need to have good quality carbohydrates in the form of wholegrain and brown pasta and everything should be fresh including lots of vegetables and good quality proteins – not meats where the saturated fat content is high."

Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks agreed, adding: "The constraints on hospital budgets across the country mean it's very difficult for them but hospitals can't skimp on food.

"At face value the amount spent [at Croydon University Hospital] seems to be a pitifully small amount of money and I think they need to address that further.

"I think at the very least the Croydon University Hospital management should regard this as a wake-up call, which raises questions about the adequacy of the meals on offer."

The figures, compiled by the NHS Information Centre and placed in the House of Commons library last week, show Croydon hospitals fared well last year when compared with health trusts across the country.

Western Sussex Hospitals Trust had the lowest expenditure on patients at its hospitals, at just £2.57 per head, while Wiltshire Primary Care Trust had the highest expenditure, at £22.31.

A Croydon Health Services NHS Trust spokesman said: "On some wards, such as those with elderly people, where feedback from patients has shown a preference for a main meal at lunchtime and a lighter one in the evening.

"We have responded by putting this into place.

"The company that provides the meals to us guarantees fresh and high quality food for our patients.

"We will review the service regularly to ensure we maintain quality and value for money."

Pippa Hart, director of nursing for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We know that nutrition and healthy eating plays a vital role in our patients' recovery"

"However, making sure our patients stay healthy isn't as simple as just offering nice food.

"During breakfast, lunch and dinner we operate a policy known as protected mealtimes, which means that all non-urgent activities in our wards come to a stop."

A spokesman for South London Healthcare NHS Trust, which operates the Princess Royal, said it works with suppliers "to obtain a good quality value for money meal service", while a St George's spokesman said patients are always consulted about decisions on catering.

Croydon University Hospital

Spending per patient (per day): £5.96

Sample menu: Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, sausage and mash, beef casserole and dumpling

St Helier Hospital, Sutton

Spending per patient: £11.08

Sample menu: Crispy summer salad with smoked mackerel, braised chicken breast, crispy battered haddock, tomato, lentil and mozzarella salad with pesto

Princess Royal Hospital, Farnborough, Kent

Spending per patient: £9.06

Sample menu: Asparagus soup, fricassee of chicken, mustard and tarragon, rice pudding with nutmeg, salmon and potato au Gratin

St George’s Hospital, Tooting

Spending per patient: £6.80

Sample menu: Breaded cod, chicken and vegetable casserole, cottage pie, chilli con carne