While you are in a hospital or care home it is vital that your nutritional requirements are met to help you make a full recovery. Some hospitals offer varied vegan food options and are willing to cater for all your needs, but others have little to offer. It is therefore advisable to be prepared for a hospital visit if you possibly can. Failing that, there are steps you can take once you are in the hospital or care home.
We welcome feedback on the guidelines below. If you are vegan and have been, or are in a hospital or care home, do do let us know about your experience.
Before you arrive at the hospital or care home
If you know of your visit to hospital in advance let the kitchens know that you are vegan. It can sometimes take catering staff up to three days to find reasonable vegan options so knowing in advance can make all the difference.
The Vegan Society's 'Vegan Catering Guide for hospitals and care homes' can be downloaded from the leaflets and booklets page, or please contact us if you would like a free paper copy to give to the hospital or care home catering managers.
After you arrive
You should be asked about any special dietary requirements when you are admitted to hospital. If you still find that there are no vegan dishes available, ask to see the catering manager so that you can explain your dietary needs. Many will be amenable to your requests; indeed the UK Equality Act (2006) could be interpreted as requiring that vegans be provided with an acceptable alternative to non-vegan meals in hospital. The Equality Act has not yet been tested in court but providing suitable food for people with profoundly held beliefs would certainly be within the spirit of the Act.
Some hospitals and care homes rarely have a vegan patient to cater for so may welcome your input:
Supply them with our hospital and care homes catering guide. Contact us for copies.
If you have favourite dishes make a list to provide a few guidelines to get them started. Include recipes if possible.
Anglia Crown provides a good selection of vegan soups, main meals and puddings. They supply many hospitals and have a list of their vegan products. You may wish to draw the hospital's attention to this because even if they use Anglia Crown they may not be aware of their vegan products. Anglia Crown can be contacted on 01206 854564.
Wiltshire Farm Foods (0800 773773) and Kealth Foods (0845 082 2350) supply hospitals and have a selection of vegan meals.
It may be useful if someone can bring in a meat substitute for staff to cook to accompany vegetables and potatoes. This is clearly not ideal because the hospital should be supplying the whole meal but may be a useful short-term solution.
Eating outside of set meal times
Some hospitals have introduced snack boxes and other options for patients to eat outside of normal meal times. Ask a staff member what your hospital’s policy is on this.
Keeping food on the ward
If you have visitors, ask them to bring snacks in for you including some prepared food such as pasties, vegetable sticks, fresh salad, crackers and hummus.
A fridge is often provided on or near the ward for any refrigerated items you may wish to store, such as soya milk and margarine. Staff working on the ward (e.g. nurses) can tell you if there is a fridge and where it is.
If possible, bring a selection of food in with you that doesn't need to be refrigerated such as fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, cereal bars, rice or oat cakes, crackers and dried fruit. These can be kept on your bedside table.
The hospital should provide soya milk and vegan margarine.
Liquid-food drips
If you are likely to need a liquid-food drip you should be aware that none of the complete-food drips is currently suitable for vegans. You may encounter a food drip called Nutrison Soya which is produced by Nutricia Clinical Care. We have been advised by Nutricia that it is not suitable for vegans because it contains vitamin D3 derived from lanolin.
Some glucose drips are vegan but are not nutritionally complete. However Science In Sport produces a liquid recovery drink called Rego Recovery. This is available from Science in Sport, Ashwood Laboratories, Brockhall Village, Blackburn, Lancs, BB6 8BB, telephone 01254 246060.
Rego Recovery comes in various flavours (confirmed suitable 12.2008) and may be suitable for food drips that go through the nose. The hospital will be able to advise you whether they accept them for use in stomach drips.
Other vegan nutritional products (confirmed suitable 12.2008)
Calogen: a blend of oils used to provide energy. Neutral flavour is suitable.
Polycal Liquid or Powder: a high-energy supplement (carbohydrate) based on maltodextrin.
Maxijul: a high-energy supplement. Unflavoured and orange are suitable.
Anaesthetics
At the last enquiry (2008) the following medications that may be used by anaesthetists were identified as animal free (although they will probably have been tested on animals):
The following medication was identified as having a problem:
It is best to talk to the anaesthetist/hospital pharmacist in advance who will be able to give up-to-date information.
Advice and Support within the hospital
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is available in all English hospitals and offers the following:
Confidential assistance in resolving problems and concerns quickly;
Information about making a formal complaint;
Passing on of feedback from patients to relevant departments.
You can get in touch with PALS through the hospital or by phoning NHS Direct on 0845 4647. If you make use of their services while in hospital please let us know how you get on.
For information on support available in hospitals in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales please contact The Vegan Society.
Making a complaint If you wish to make a complaint, PALS or the equivalent can help you. Alternatively contact The Vegan Society for more information: email advocacy@vegansociety.com.