To: Laura Churchward, UHN Chief Executive Officer
Fuel the Frontline - Save our Canteen!
We are calling on the Trust to :
1. Keep Eat Street OPEN as a 24‑hour service.
1. Keep Eat Street OPEN as a 24‑hour service.
Withdraw plans to close the canteen overnight from 1 April.
2. Restore hot food on night shifts.
Night‑shift staff need access to hot, nutritious meals — not just cold snacks and vending machines.
3. Introduce proper accountability.
The strategic leadership of Eat Street should not be left to a small number of managers. A joint committee of staff representatives, patient representatives, and Trust management should oversee decisions about the service.
Why is this important?
Eat Street was launched as a 24‑hour service, but years of cutbacks and poor management have left it struggling. Food quality has declined, hot meals often ran out before the end of shifts, and night‑shift workers have been left without any hot options at all. Now management plans to close the canteen entirely between 6pm and 6am — removing a vital source of food for thousands of staff, patients, and visitors.
Staff across the hospital — including nurses, HCAs, porters, doctors and many others — have raised serious concerns. People working long, demanding shifts deserve access to decent, nutritious food. Families waiting with loved ones, often for many hours in an overcrowded and understaffed hospital, also rely on Eat Street for a hot meal, a short break, and a moment of comfort.
Closing the canteen overnight will make an already difficult situation worse. It would leave staff without the fuel they need to work safely through the night, and leave patients’ families with nowhere on site to get food during the hours they need it most. Protecting Eat Street as a full 24‑hour service is essential for the wellbeing of staff and the dignity and support of everyone who comes through the hospital.
Please sign our petition today!
Please sign our petition today!
