Oberon Health Service Manager Eric Ford said despite the fact the issue has not yet been raised with Oberon Hospital, he understands that is only the case for larger hospitals such as Bathurst, and that Oberon Hospital will not be switching to pre-packed meals for patients.

The concern for many hospitals is that kitchen staff, such as cooks, may be without a job due to the changes, but Mr Ford said that even if Oberon Hospital was switched to pre-packed meals, no staff would lose their job.

Mr Ford said that Oberon Hospital employs 3.6 staff full time over seven days in the week, and these staff would still be required.

Mr Ford said, for instance, two kitchen staff members are employed to cook and also distribute the meals in the mornings.

If the meals were switched to pre-packed meals, these two employees would still be needed to document meals and monitor heating of food and so on, and again distribute the meals to patients.

“As far as I understand, there are no proposed changes happening in smaller areas, “ he said.

But the Health Services Union (HSU), which is currently protesting against the changes to pre-packed meals, seems to think otherwise.

A spokesperson from the HSU said that the changes are likely to happen to all hospital in the state.

“Our concern is that it is not cost-effective,” he said.

He said the pre-packed meal changes mean that local produce will no longer be able to be sourced to produce meals in hospitals, which will have an effect on communities.

Another problem with the proposed changes is the fact that patients have different supplementary needs and these may not be met with pre-packed meals.

“The most important thing is to ensure that the sick and injured whilst in hospital receive optimal nutrition,” he said.

“This can only aid in reducing a patient’s length of stay and lessening susceptibility to hospital acquired infections.”