Takeaway food in Broadmoor
Discussion
I was just musing on secure mental hospitals and the life of the patients, and if you're so bad you'll never get out how annoying it would be to live on NHS food.
Then I remembered takeaways exist. I have people very close to me who work at insecure mental hospitals and patients are allowed them.
So how do takeaways work in the secure ones like Broadmoor?
Are all patients allowed them?
If so, that seems a bit 'cushy' for the ones who are there penally as part of a hybrid order. And also there is the hypothetical issue of smuggling in weapons and things - would take too long to scan the currys while they keep warm
Are no patients allowed them?
If so, that seems unfair the patients who are there purely medically. Why should they be denied creature comforts because of crimes they committed when meeting the very high bar for being mental?
Are some patients allowed them?
That sounds unworkable. Or maybe it is - I don't know how anything about Broadmoor really. Perhaps they split patients up by what they did? But that seems like it would be difficult to do medically where I'd expect they'd prefer to categorise them by type of illness.
These all seem like bad options to me but surely one is the case?
Then I remembered takeaways exist. I have people very close to me who work at insecure mental hospitals and patients are allowed them.
So how do takeaways work in the secure ones like Broadmoor?
Are all patients allowed them?
If so, that seems a bit 'cushy' for the ones who are there penally as part of a hybrid order. And also there is the hypothetical issue of smuggling in weapons and things - would take too long to scan the currys while they keep warm
Are no patients allowed them?
If so, that seems unfair the patients who are there purely medically. Why should they be denied creature comforts because of crimes they committed when meeting the very high bar for being mental?
Are some patients allowed them?
That sounds unworkable. Or maybe it is - I don't know how anything about Broadmoor really. Perhaps they split patients up by what they did? But that seems like it would be difficult to do medically where I'd expect they'd prefer to categorise them by type of illness.
These all seem like bad options to me but surely one is the case?
I went to Broadmoor County Primary School from 1959 to 1965. Our Nativity play was on the stage in the hospital and the mums and dads came. The old boys in green overalls who tended the grounds of the whole estate turned out to be trusted long serving patients. The clients of a patient who was an accountant used to visit him inside. Most of my classmates were children of warders. They were called nurses back then. We lived in Sandhurst, the next village, and there was a repeater for the escape siren. The sirens were tested every Monday morning at ten. The dog used to howl along with it. One escape was at ten on a Monday morning. Not so mad, then. Drivers in the know could take a shortcut through the estate. Interesting place.
gazza285 said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
…also there is the hypothetical issue of smuggling in weapons and things - would take too long to scan the currys while they keep warm
With X-Ray detectors being rolled out in U.K. prisons scanning would take seconds.It just occurred to me as well that maybe more trustworthy patients are allowed to cook. That would be better than takeaways. Although not sure where they'd get the ingredients.
Worse than the food I suppose would be the bed. While not related to this thread... Life tip - if you are happy with beds (especially mattresses) in general, never ever buy a vispring. You will be cursed to hating beds everywhere else subsequently as you suddenly know what a bed can be.
Octoposse said:
Many years ago I went to a performance there by their amateur dramatic group - only theatre I’ve been to where you get locked in.
Alan Ayckbourn play. Nervous audience titters when a character sticks her head in the oven, and at the line ”you must be mad!”.
My Dad used to play football against their team (70's or 80's), home and away always the same place Alan Ayckbourn play. Nervous audience titters when a character sticks her head in the oven, and at the line ”you must be mad!”.
TX.
I do some volunteering work with prisoners.
Some of them with longer sentences will have never tasted a KFC, McDonalds etc for years or decades.
Prison/Mental Hospitals aren't set up for takeaway food deliveries, other than for staff who may have ordered. You would need an OSG/prison officer to go and collect the food from the gate and deliver it to the prisoner - that isn't going to happen. Some sites take 10-15 minutes to walk from the furthest wing to the gate.
When we have taken prisoners out on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL/Day Release), they are given packed lunches, although on occasions they get given money for food. When they get this opportunity, they normally buy fish and chips rather than brands they've never heard of.
Some of them with longer sentences will have never tasted a KFC, McDonalds etc for years or decades.
Prison/Mental Hospitals aren't set up for takeaway food deliveries, other than for staff who may have ordered. You would need an OSG/prison officer to go and collect the food from the gate and deliver it to the prisoner - that isn't going to happen. Some sites take 10-15 minutes to walk from the furthest wing to the gate.
When we have taken prisoners out on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL/Day Release), they are given packed lunches, although on occasions they get given money for food. When they get this opportunity, they normally buy fish and chips rather than brands they've never heard of.
Somewhatfoolish said:
gazza285 said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
…also there is the hypothetical issue of smuggling in weapons and things - would take too long to scan the currys while they keep warm
With X-Ray detectors being rolled out in U.K. prisons scanning would take seconds.It just occurred to me as well that maybe more trustworthy patients are allowed to cook. That would be better than takeaways. Although not sure where they'd get the ingredients.
Worse than the food I suppose would be the bed. While not related to this thread... Life tip - if you are happy with beds (especially mattresses) in general, never ever buy a vispring. You will be cursed to hating beds everywhere else subsequently as you suddenly know what a bed can be.
Some prisons are set up for self-cooking/have kitchens. They are able to order items from their "canteen" and along with ingredients such as spice/salt/pepper/fresh fruit and veg/frozen meats, they are very creative in making amazing food from basic ingredients. If you can't cook and rely on the prison food, I was told that the budget is £1.10 per day to feed each prisoner from the cheapest frozen food supplied by Bidfood.
Local hospital (granted not as secure as Broadmoor) allows deliveroo etc to reception and a staff member then collects it for the patient.Was quite suprised while sat there after dealing with a patient slashing her wrists with a curtain track she had ripped off the window, she had a maccy D's delivered, apparently the staff used it as a way of calming her down some.
Somewhatfoolish said:
gazza285 said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
…also there is the hypothetical issue of smuggling in weapons and things - would take too long to scan the currys while they keep warm
With X-Ray detectors being rolled out in U.K. prisons scanning would take seconds.Somewhatfoolish said:
vikingaero said:
Definitely no booze and no fags. They can buy vapes and get nicotine replacement products from healthcare.
I thought cigarettes were anecdotally a life saver for many schizophrenics? Seems a bit daft to stop them if that's true.I've found a solicitors objection to smoking ban in pysch hospitals:
https://odonnells-solicitors.co.uk/information-she...
I worked for 10 years on the forensic unit in my local psychiatric hospital.
Friday / Saturday night was such a free for all takeaway wise, they had to start limiting it. It was all the staff did after 4pm on those evenings. Collect the patient takeaways from reception
and some of them weren't just £8 orders, they were more like £80!!
Granted, this was medium secure though, nothing like broadmoor!
Friday / Saturday night was such a free for all takeaway wise, they had to start limiting it. It was all the staff did after 4pm on those evenings. Collect the patient takeaways from reception
and some of them weren't just £8 orders, they were more like £80!! Granted, this was medium secure though, nothing like broadmoor!
James_N said:
I worked for 10 years on the forensic unit in my local psychiatric hospital.
Friday / Saturday night was such a free for all takeaway wise, they had to start limiting it. It was all the staff did after 4pm on those evenings. Collect the patient takeaways from reception and some of them weren't just £8 orders, they were more like £80!!
Granted, this was medium secure though, nothing like broadmoor!
Likewise...I currently work in medium secure - 2 different places spanning the last 10 years.Friday / Saturday night was such a free for all takeaway wise, they had to start limiting it. It was all the staff did after 4pm on those evenings. Collect the patient takeaways from reception
and some of them weren't just £8 orders, they were more like £80!! Granted, this was medium secure though, nothing like broadmoor!
Same level of security as a cat B prison.
The patients/service users certainly have more takeaways than I ever get. Think we still have a monthly schedule - Indian one month, burgers the next etc etc. plus the hospital also pays for a takeaway on birthdays.
Always ordered by staff and collected from reception by staff and i've never heard of any issues.
I've been to Broadmoor a few times as I used to work for WLMHT who run it. Their levels of security are obviously more intense but I can't see why they wouldn't be able to do similar.
Somewhatfoolish said:
Did you have hospital food? What is it like?
Broadmoor has a really good staff canteen, unfortunately I didn't take in any money as different establishments have different rules on how much you can take in. Also Broadmoor only allows visitors one entry a day so couldn't go to the car to get any. Our escort for the day bought lunch for us.vikingaero said:
Somewhatfoolish said:
vikingaero said:
Definitely no booze and no fags. They can buy vapes and get nicotine replacement products from healthcare.
I thought cigarettes were anecdotally a life saver for many schizophrenics? Seems a bit daft to stop them if that's true.I've found a solicitors objection to smoking ban in pysch hospitals:
https://odonnells-solicitors.co.uk/information-she...
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