‘A ludicrous waste of money’ Chef’s retiral means food is being taxied between Perthshire hospitals

Meals for patients are being taxied from one Perthshire hospital to another in a scheme branded “astonishing” by an MSP.

Food is being prepared at Perth Royal Infirmary and driven to St Margaret’s Hospital in Auchterarder.

Taxies are being hired to undertake the 30-mile round trip.

The short-term measure, put in place when the hospital chef retired, has been defended by NHS Tayside as cheaper than finding a new staff member.

But Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “This seems an extraordinary state of affairs.”

A whistleblower who works at the hospital said: “It is a ludicrous waste of money.”

Mark Scholes of NHS Tayside said: “Having meals prepared in a large kitchen and then transported helps us to reduce our operating costs.”

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