The Canberra Liberals say the ACT government has serious questions to answer about resourcing at Canberra Hospital after a number of patients, including a one-year-old, were not fed their evening meals.
James, who asked to be referred to only by his first name for privacy reasons, said his one-year-old daughter was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday for a procedure.
He said he and his partner were later told that she needed to fast from midnight on Thursday ahead of the procedure scheduled for Friday.
But they said no meal arrived at dinner-time on Thursday night for her final meal.
"We spoke to the nursing staff, asking 'what time is dinner coming around? Is it delayed or something?'" James said.
"And the nurses said, 'Oh, hasn't she had dinner? It says that she's had it'."
James said the family was not given an explanation and was told to fill out a complaint form.
"I managed to raid the tea room, I found some Weet-Bix and milk in there, and I gave that to her, but it's not enough for my daughter who is suffering from a medical condition that affects her absorption of food."
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Canberra Health Services (CHS) admitted that "a small number of meals were not delivered to patients on Ward 8B during last night's dinner service".
"We are sorry this occurred," the spokeswoman said.
"We know how important it is for all patients to receive appropriate meals, particularly young children who may be required to fast during their stay.
CHS said senior clinical team members had on Friday spent time with patients and visitors on the ward to ensure they received the support they required.
"CHS will review meal procedures to ensure patients receive appropriate meals," the statement said.
"CHS's food services team provides more than 1.4 million patient meals a year. In the vast majority of cases, the right meal is served to the right patient at the right time, but on rare occasions, there may be a mix-up due to human error.
"Our clinical and support services teams always strive to provide the best care possible, and we thank them for the work they do every day for our community."
James said he did not blame the nursing staff but said they could do little to help his family.
"Yes, the nurses were trying to help but they don't have any resources … they're not allowed to contact the catering team to make a complaint, we have to do that," he said.
"I haven't seen my daughter not cry in three days now, and that breaks my heart.
"You know, this is my little angel and I should be able to look after her."
James said he decided to go home and get food for his daughter for the remainder of her hospital stay, to ensure she was fed.
"I went home and I got a nappy bag and I emptied out the cupboard of all of our baby food. Absolutely everything. All the nappies that we've got, because we don't know how long we're going be here," he said.
"Next time we're going to have to go into the private system ... and if we have to pay for it... I don't care how much overtime I have to do, I will provide the right type of care for my family."
A 'disgrace' that children missed meals: opposition
The Canberra Hospital, along with the rest of the ACT Health system has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with hospital administrators admitting the additional patient load and COVID-19 infections among staff had taken a toll.
But Canberra Liberals Shadow Health Minister Leanne Castley said patients missing meals was simply unacceptable.
"From the outset, we have to say how well our hospital staff – nurses, doctors and everyone else – is doing in a terribly difficult work environment. All we hear is how much they're trying to help people with limited resources.
"I'm so sorry to hear about this. The hospital is never a good time for kids and I think the responsibility sits squarely on the shoulders of the Health Minister."
When asked to comment, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith directed ABC News to Canberra Health Services.
