Anyhow, this is not a post about her exactly but about what happened when we were in Starship.
Emma has a multitude of food allergies, one of her most serious is her dairy allergy. The first night we were there they couldn't feed her. Luckily I had popped to the convenience store at Auckland hospital and bought some 2 minute noodles which she ate.
The next morning Emma was happy to receive her menu and chose her dinner for the night - Pasta with tomato & garlic sauce. Her menu clearly stated all her allergies. However instead of dairy it said milk.
Imagine our surprise when her pasta turned up covered in cheese. The care assistant called the kitchen and was told the meal was fine, they had double checked. I tasted it, just to make sure and sure enough it was cheese. Another call to the kitchen and then the dietician by our dedicated care assistant and we were told another dinner was on it's way.
The dietician came to chat with us and apologised profusely. It seems that the person in charge of the kitchen that night had decided that cheese was okay, coz it wasn't milk.
NOT MILK!
Not Milk, never mind that it is made from milk. I was flabbergasted that Starship, of all places, could get it so wrong. The dietician said she would be off to do some education with the kitchen staff.
This had a happy outcome. Emma didn't eat it and got another dish (which she didn't eat either coz she didn't trust it to be okay). But what if I hadn't been there. Even if she had questioned it and the answer from an adult staff member of a children's hospital had assured her it was safe, would she have eaten it?
We realise that not everyone understands about allergies and that the slightest trace can set off an allergic reaction. But the kitchen at Starship? They should really know a whole lot better.
So Starship, I hope by our next visit, you will have sorted out your kitchen staff and things like this wont happen again.
Barbs x.
Oh wow!!! I am SHOCKED!! Of all the places that should be SUPER aware of kids with allergies. My mind is blown...and I'm so glad too that you were there.
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That is shocking! Lucky you were there to set them straight....I must admit I can't say I've had the best dealings with starship.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it is not so shocking. We have been in 3 hospitals in NZ and they have never been able to cater for Miss M's allergies. We have always had to bring food in because of the possibility of cross contamination. Hospital dieticians are often average. Feeling very sorry for you. A sick child is one thing. A sick hungry child is another. It's great to visit your site. Will be a regular. Sarann xx
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! more something like this one
ReplyDeleteThat's so crazy. To be honest I never expect anywhere to cater for Reuben's dairy allergy. He passed a milk in baking challenge last year and that's led to him being fed nuttella (milk in it) and a dairy margarine by confused friends and neighbours. Kinda wish I'd kept the new info to myself as people think it means he's no longer anapylactic or something.
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