A REPORT on the super kitchens which make hospital food for patients across Scotland's largest health board has been condemned as "thin" and "weak" by campaigners.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde announced they had asked a "mass production catering expert" to give them advice amid damning criticism of the meals served on the wards last summer.

The report suggests there are some issues with the way the two centralised kitchens, which make food to be frozen, dispatched and then reheated, are run.

It concludes: "There is a skilled and committed workforce and management team on both sites. I believe they understand the problems with current operation and would welcome some change and development to improve the operation and quality."

It also suggests some improvements, like "reverting to more conventional methods of production like cooking joints of meat in house". The report reveals 35 per cent of the main meals are "assembled without cooking". This means dishes such as roast turkey in gravy are composed from products bought in ready-cooked. NHS GGC has said once the new South Glasgow University Hospital is fully operational they will move to a new menu cycle with the kitchen staff cooking meat themselves.

However, patients and their relatives who have raised concern about the standard of food served, say the review does not cover other key issues.

Anne Johnstone, a leukaemia patient who collected statements from fellow patients about the food when she spent three months in the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer, said: "I thought the report was very weak. I was very disappointed. It missed out the way in which this food is reheated and distributed to distant corners of a very large hospital network.

"Certainly judging from what other people from other health board areas say, it is the hospitals where food is produced freshly on site that win the plaudits of their patients."

David Maguire, a successful restaurateur, offered to review the boards's catering operation for free after seeing the meals when a relative was hospitalised. NHS GGC gave him an "access-all-areas pass" to its food production and service facilities last year and he uncovered a range of problems including insufficient freezer capacity and the closure of the kitchens at 5pm.

The new report, written by Martin Cantor, seems to back these findings. It says the current staffing hours "can have a direct effect on productivity and quality" and later notes: "Finished food storage is the biggest problem at both sites, particularly at Inverclyde where it is detrimental to the overall operation".

However, in a statement on the findings NHS GGC said: "There are some recommendations in the report which having reviewed internally we are confident there is no action needed including our freezer capacity which is adequate and the how often the menu changes."

Mr Maguire said: "Having had it pointed out to them by their own staff, then by me and then by their own expert it beggars belief that they say they consider the arrangements are adequate."

Some of Mr Cantor's advice is being taken on board. He suggested making hot custard, instead of mixing it cold, would make it less lumpy, save staff time and £28,721 per year. He also suggested putting salad portions into cheaper boxes which would also look better for patients. These changes have been made.

NHS GGC said: "The audit has proved successful in assuring us that our Central Production Units and processes are fit for the future. The audit was just a small part of the stock take that we have undertaken in past six to 12 months to ensure that the service we provide to our patients continues to deliver improvements.

"We have a patient panel, recruited through the board's Patient Involvement Programme, which is involved in measuring the patient experience of food. This includes the panel making unannounced visits to wards to look at the quality of food delivered to patients and the processes involved."

Staff and patients are currently being offered tasting sessions to try-out the new menu cycle.

Mr Maguire said: "I am nowhere near satisfied that the NHS have dealt with this."