STAFF working at hospitals and healthcare facilities across Gwent will no longer be entitled to subsidised meals - a cost-cutting measure from the health board which has been met with criticism from those affected.

At the beginning of August, NHS staff across Gwent were given notification that, "in light of the health board's significant financial challenges", the 30 per cent staff meal subsidy would be largely wound up.

Until recently, staff had been charged a reduced rate compared to members of the public.

However, Aneurin Bevan Health Board (ABHB)'s executive team said, after "reviewing all current costs" it was deemed necessary to "make some changes to the staff subsidy for hot meals".

This meant that from August 21 staff would have to pay the same as members of the public for all hot meals - with the exception of the meal of the day option, which is £2.

News of the removal of the staff food subsidy was not met warmly by those affected.

Comments shared with the Argus show various departments offering critical feedback to the (then-planned) move.

One comment from a rheumatology department employee read: "We don't get many perks working for the NHS.

"This is a very small one that is appreciated. You need to rethink this."

A radiology commenter wrote: "One minute you are giving us 50 per cent because you appreciate the cost of living and then you take it away completely.

"I bet the person(s) who made this decision is above a band 3 [on the pay scale]."

A similar view was held by a commeter from an unspecified department said: "Lots of staff already have trouble making ends meet and will be pushed further into poverty. This subsidy was a lifeline."

A number of commenters said that the move, in their opinion, would result in fewer staff members visiting the on-site restaurants for their meals and, therefore, a decrease in revenue for the health board.

However, ABHB say they envisage the move will save them approximately £200,000 per year.

"Our catering team continually review demand and order supplies to produce meals accordingly to reduce waste," they said.

"To date, we have not seen a reduction in the number of staff using our restaurants."

Responding to the wider condemnation of the move a spokesman for the health board said: “We are facing a financial deficit of more than £100 million this year, which represents the biggest financial challenge we have ever faced as an organisation.

“The financial deficit has been caused by rising costs over the last few years through the Covid-19 pandemic, increased demand for NHS services, and the extra resources we are using to catch up.

“Our financial position means that we are having to take very difficult decisions to cut costs and the recent decision to discontinue the hot food subsidy for staff is one of many measures we are taking."

The health board say that have also asked staff to come forward with their own ideas for efficiency savings – with more than 200 ideas already having been submitted.

“We recognise the ending of the staff food subsidy may be unpopular and so to help our hard working staff, during what is a difficult financial time for them also, we have continued to offer a heavily subsidised £2 hot ‘meal of the day’ option for staff across all our restaurants," the ABHB spokesperson said. 

“We are now producing two different ‘Meal of the Day’ options each day (one at lunch and one at dinner time, in line with restaurant opening times) so that staff working long shifts could have two hot meals at a cost of £4 where possible.

“We would like to reassure people that the very best interests of our NHS staff are being considered as we make difficult decisions to reduce Health Board spending.”