Curly’s Corner Shop, the blog!

£208,251 spent on tea and biscuits

The Tax Payers Alliance has discovered that NHS South of Tyne and Wear, which oversees primary care services for people in Sunderland, South Tyneside and Gateshead, has spent £208,251 on catering for all meetings since 2006.

The figures came from Freedom of Information requests, and revealed that people who attended Sunderland Royal Hospital meetings and functions since 2006 chomped their way through £34,629 of Brambles brand sandwiches alone.

Out of a total of £76,548 over two years, City Hospitals NHS Trust also spent £25,382 on Nescafe coffee, £11,580 on Ringtons tea, and £2,555 on Crawford biscuits. (That’s more than a £1000 per month on this catering sized Nescafe – at Asda prices that is the equivalent of over 100 tins per month!). The next time they lecture me not to eat fat laden sugary foods I’ll go bloody mental How dare they eat biscuits and tell us to eat celery sticks and apples!

Jeff Tate, North East regional officer for Unite – Amicus section, said:

“This kind of expense is a slap in the face for hard-working employees, who are subject to rising food and fuel costs at the moment.”

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:

“This is a frivolous and wasteful way of spending taxpayers’ money, particularly when everyone is struggling to make ends meet.”

I happen to disagree here, and I fully understand the need to provide refreshments at staff meetings, training seminars, PCT meetings etc. However, I would suggest that they look at their procurement policies, why on earth should management be allowed to enjoy the fullness of Nescafe and the richness of Ringtons, when the rest of us have to make do with the long brewed cup of WI tea? Crawfords biscuits are very nice and I’ve never even heard of Brambles, so they must be delicious!

So do they know how cheap a packet of value rich tea biscuits are at Tesco or Asda?

If only Dr. Crippen was around, I do hope he isn’t ill.

“And nurse, do be careful not to spill the hot tea in Cllr. Hanson’s lap”

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