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[Wooster]

He's having brain spasms now. Random flashes of lucid thought with barely a connection between them..I think he's in the terminal stages Cat.

Anyway keaster, don't give us it. You had access to the full range of Chapmans produce for four years (saying 'aye to a pie' for instance  ) and hospital canteen grub for another ten.

I was only afforded such 'luxury' for about 4 years on the two occasion I worked at AB's. 

(Then again, you did have to go through the 'Newmains Cross Spaghetti Famine'.. So some major kudos there.. )

[Hallcat]

I'm having trouble following the conversation, I'll get a beer.

[keasy]

the hoaspital grub was well outwith my budget !   

One of the reason I was a stonch socialist at the time.
Total profiteering.
Most works canteens subsides the grub and made minimal profit, not the hospital, it made proft from the work force 
Still angers me to this day.


The piece was the prder of the day, as it was in Chapmans too, I made the pies, couldn't afford to eat them as my daily piece

[Wooster]

The Southern General hospital had/has a subsidised cafeteria, and it was dirt cheap..(then again it's right on the Red Clydeside, so it's understandable).

AB's canteen was cheap too...(then again that was a big Union factory too, Ravenscraig steelworks was the same iirc).

Outsourcing stuff like that is just another tax imho.
Surely if you have hundreds (or thousands) of workers, you could set up a canteen to cater for them all and still break even, or even turn a slight profit without charging them a fortune?

[keasy]

The Southern General hospital had/has a subsidised cafeteria, and it was dirt cheap..(then again it's right on the Red Clydeside, so it's understandable).

AB's canteen was cheap too...(then again that was a big Union factory too, Ravenscraig steelworks was the same iirc).

Outsourcing stuff like that is just another tax imho.
Surely if you have hundreds (or thousands) of workers, you could set up a canteen to cater for them all and still break even, or even turn a slight profit without charging them a fortune?

 


Indeed.

But, it's all down to the local authority.

In Lanarkshire, they choose to outsource it to third party, meaning the work force do not pay subsidesd meal prices, rather the money they pay to the out sourced company actually subsidises the patients meals.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Warning!!!!!!1
This is shit, but true.
The nurses, doctors, all staff who pay to eat at the works canteen subsidise the patients meals.
That's why the bastards who tend for the deal can bid so fucking low, not that the local authority care, eh ?

[Thermalsig]

Indeed.

But, it's all down to the local authority.

In Lanarkshire, they choose to outsource it to third party, meaning the work force do not pay subsidesd meal prices, rather the money they pay to the out sourced company actually subsidises the patients meals.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Warning!!!!!!1
This is shit, but true.
The nurses, doctors, all staff who pay to eat at the works canteen subsidise the patients meals.
That's why the bastards who tend for the deal can bid so fucking low, not that the local authority care, eh ?

That does sound like the purist form of socialism. Can't be too hard on them for helping to pay for the patient's meals. Or am I misunderstanding?

[keasy]

Indeed.

But, it's all down to the local authority.

In Lanarkshire, they choose to outsource it to third party, meaning the work force do not pay subsidesd meal prices, rather the money they pay to the out sourced company actually subsidises the patients meals.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Warning!!!!!!1
This is shit, but true.
The nurses, doctors, all staff who pay to eat at the works canteen subsidise the patients meals.
That's why the bastards who tend for the deal can bid so fucking low, not that the local authority care, eh ?

That does sound like the purist form of socialism. Can't be too hard on them for helping to pay for the patient's meals. Or am I misunderstanding?

Totally misunderstanding, or in fairness my incoherent ranting wasn't the clearest

It's like this....   (don't forget to switch off the TV and pull out the plugs before you read this     )


Local hospital, the same company who serve the staff/cater for the staffs meals are the same catering company who have bid for and won  the contract from the local health authority  ie: basically the local government.
So, the company have given the government a set price of how much per patient/bed a meal shall be. It's a low number and wins them the contract.

They can afford to make the patients meals so cheap because in the staff/works canteen they break the mould/tradition/norm by charging staff who eat in the works canteen over the odds compared to any other workplaces canteen, which is subsidised.
The money the make from over charging (or) catering to staff at unsubsidised prices goes into the other pot, the patients meal pot. That allows them to keep the patients meals low, the deciding factor when the contracted is tended (the work force don't come in to it).
So, it's considered a basic fact and given that staff canteens are cheap, they work on a non profit plan.
These greedy fecks don't make profit from staff, they subsidise the patients meals from the staff.
In other words the staff aren't offered fair priced meals at work.
Instead the caterer is making themselves a huge profit by making it look like they can provide cheap patient meals to the local health authority.
So it's not socialism, it's capitalism to the max. They gain capital form the work force and use it to make it look like they can provide what is required of the contract, which of course they can't. But the work force canteen is not considered in the tendering of the contract when it's up for grabs


Sorry, I'm trying to get a point across and finding it difficult.
Di you remember to turn the telly off ?   

[Thermalsig]

Di you remember to turn the telly off ?   

It's quite easy to understand, but it's hard to understand the practicality of the business model. I don't see how they can make enough profit from the canteen to subsidize the whole pediatric wing at the lower cost. Unless of course, they're doing a poor job at that also. 



Can I turn the TV back on?

[keasy]

The profit from the workers doesn't 100% fund the patients, it subsidises it.

It's the whole hospital by the way, not just paediatrics.

[keasy]

PS

Yes you may, but I didn't think you would still be awake after that

[Wooster]

The patients meals have been criticised in a fair few hospitals tbh.
So it'll be pretty standard fare all round, but the staff will be getting charged over the odds to bolster the profit margin.

Don't get me wrong, in a subsidised canteen it's still standard fare..but you won't be paying that much for it.
I.E. A roll and sausage* and a cup of tea will cost you 50p in a subsidised canteen, but £1.30 in an non subsidised one...that kind of thing.

*that's a bread roll with a fried square sliced sausage in it..kinda like a hamburger, but different.

[Thermalsig]

The profit from the workers doesn't 100% fund the patients, it subsidises it.

It's the whole hospital by the way, not just paediatrics.

Hmm, not sure where I got the pediatric from. Still in all, to make a profit, both the canteen and the patients meals would have to be sickly substandard. Unless of course,  the contract came with access to a subsidized food supply. You guy's need to stop paying attention to American capitalist healthcare as it stands now. 

[Wooster]

They do have to maintain standards or they get their arses kicked, the money ultimately comes out of the public purse after all.

Healthcare, Education and the Economy are probably the biggest three agendas in British politics, stuff like the military doesn't even come close.

[Thermalsig]

They do have to maintain standards or they get their arses kicked, the money ultimately comes out of the public purse after all.

Healthcare, Education and the Economy are probably the biggest three agendas in British politics, stuff like the military doesn't even come close.

I like that. I would pay more taxes willingly if we (as a country), could get better access to healthcare. I can't bitch at all, $90 every three months is my copay for what my insurance pays $9000 for.