"Inaccessible meal "dumped" on table of frail..."

This lunchtime my girlfriend visited a friend on one of the wards at North Manchester Hospital. (I am not naming the ward for fear of victimisation by staff towards the patients.) A nearby patient, a frail person able and willing to feed themselves, had their meal "dumped" on her table by the catering staff, who then just walked away. The meal was one of those special ones with a plastic lid. The patient and my girlfriend were unable to remove the lid. The nursing staff declined to provide a pair of scissors to remove the lid or help in any other way. My girlfriend had to use her teeth to remove the plastic lid. This belittled the dignity and self esteem of the patient, is an infection control issue and calls into question the reasons the nursing and catering staff were there. I am a NHS employee and volunteer to help patients with their meals. I find your staff's behaviour disgusting. What is your response?