Croydon University Hospital was recently forced to pay in excess of £20,000 to close down a Burger King branch established on its premises.
The hospital, which is facing £34.7 million cuts over the next four years, has already been forced to cut 200 jobs and close four wards due to a lack of funding. The £24,000 paid to terminate the contract with Burger King would have been enough to cover the salary of a lower grade nurse for a year if otherwise allocated.
Burger King’s outlet has been running in the hospital’s entrance area has been serving food to patients and visitors for 14 years, but Croydon Health Service said “the world had changed” since the initial contract was signed in 1997. Recent pressure from health campaigners, claiming that the hospital was hypocritical for benefiting from a fast food company during an obesity crisis, was a contributing factor to the removal of Burger King in favour of coffee chain Costa.
Freedom of information laws allowed the public to access data relating to the contract, where it was revealed that the NHS Trust paid the £24,000 to Compass UK, which was the company operating the fast food franchise. However, a spokesperson for the trust was keen to reassure the public that none of the money would go to Burger King; it was used for legal fees and the agreed-upon price for termination of contract with Compass UK.
Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks wholeheartedly supported the move, saying “From the first time I saw the wretched burger joint I was unhappy about it. Advertising and selling fast food, which is generally unhealthy, really grates with what a modern hospital is about.”
Chief Executive of Croydon Health Service, Nick Hulme, pointed out that the hospital did not have direct control over businesses operating on its premises, but added “We made a business decision to invest in this change which will give our patients and visitors a better service.”
Hospital bosses hope the entrance area will now be a healthier environment, and will be able to earn back some of the money lost through a proposed pharmacy, which should, if approved, open later this year.
