Survey shows French heathcare patients hate hospital food

Whether you’re an expat or a French national, one important factor in your lifestyle is the quality of all aspects of local healthcare.

French hospitals don’t just care for locals as their services are also available to expats living in the country via an EU reciprocal deal, at least until March 2019. Many Brits factored in the country’s generally reliable healthcare facilities as part of their decision to emigrate to France at retirement rather than becoming dependent on the UK’s failing National Health Service. A recent survey of hospital patents across France showed general satisfaction in overall medical care and facilities, but the quality of meals served left a lot to be desired.

The study involved 120,000 patients in facilities across the entire country, and included expats as well as French nationals. Over three quarters of those who took part rated the comfort of their room as excellent, although the numbers dropped if the space was shared with another patient. A quarter of respondents had problems with the room’s ambient temperature, and 40 per cent of those said they didn’t feel comfortable or calm. Although a good number complained about not receiving enough information about their condition, some 90 per cent were happy with the overall care and their specialists, and 80 per cent said pain management was satisfactory.

On the whole, satisfaction levels were as high as 73 per cent with one notable exception – hospital food. According to the survey, just under half the respondents complained about monotonous menus, unpleasant smells, low quality ingredients and a general lack of anything faintly resembling French cuisine. Some 25 per cent rated the food as ‘lacking in quality and bad’, with less than half of all patients surveyed saying hospital meals were good or even excellent.

According to a spokesperson from the survey team, the hospital food category's result was the most unsuccessful of the entire study. For expats in France needing hospital treatment, it seems that having friends or partners bring in their local restaurant’s favourites is the only way to avoid more weight loss than is necessary given patients’ medical problems. The only compensation might be that French hospital food can’t possibly be as inedible as its British equivalent. ‘