Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust
WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE Better Hospital Food Programme (BHFP) and the Health of the Nation Guidelines, Andrew Donegan, Head of Catering Services at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust initiated a review of the catering operation at three of the hospitals within his trust.
Donegan caters for some 720 patients in Hudderfield Royal Infirmary, St Luke’s and Holme Valley Memorial Hospital, taking into account the acute, chronic and rehabilitative function of each hospital.
The Brief
With food being produced in a traditional central kitchen and transported to the wards – often facing delays as busy nurses completed tasks before serving meals – Donegan needed a system whereby meals would be delivered hot and at their best, achieving consistent quality and ensuring meals were both appetising and well presented.
Menu selection needed reviewing to incorporate more BHFP dishes and ensure that the needs of both younger and older patients were met.
“Too often the food was past it’s best by the time it was served to patients,” Donegan commented. “What’s more, once the food got to patients often they no longer fancied their choice because it had to be chosen so long before the serving – sometimes they had even forgotten what they had ordered.
If patients don’t eat their recovery is prolonged, explains Donegan: “Food is part of the recovery process and it is absolutely critical that our patients enjoy a balanced meal and get the essential nutrients needed to recover. With an average of 40% of patients being malnourished by the time they get to hospital, caterers have to ensure the food is appetising and appealing to patients.”
The Solution
apetito worked with Donegan to develop a Cook Freeze solution which provided the quality and consistency that Donegan was looking for, as well as flexibility , more choice and reduced wastage.
With over 220 meals and desserts to choose from, including a large BHFP-approved selection the meals are delivered frozen – picked by meal time in returnable crates – and stored until ordered by the patients, ensuring meals stay frozen, with the goodness locked in until reheating just prior to service.
Once order the meals are taken from the freezer and loaded into regeneration trolleys before being sent up to the ward at an appropriate time. By reheating from frozen immediately prior to serving the system ensures the food is at its best at the point of service.
In addition closer contact with the patients was instigated. A number of kitchen catering staff changed their role to become ward hostesses, becoming the interface between the kitchen and the patients. Orders are now collected on the wards much closer to meal times – so patients rarely forget what they have ordered – and the hostessestalk each patient through the meal options using laminated menu cards. Menu selections are then faxed through to the kitchen just before the trolleys are loaded.
The simplicity of the system enables the Trust to offer hot options twice a day (in line with the demands of the BHFP) while increased personal contact means the staff can check on the patients’ wellbeing and get the patients enthused about the menu: “In addition the one to one contact has encouraged patient feedback and we can easily amend menus as needed,” says Donegan.
The Results
The entire patient catering operation has now moved over to Cokk Freeze from apetito.
“Patient feedback has been excellent and in our latest PEAT inspection we received excellent star rating for our food quality and service. The changes to our catering operation weren’t about cost but about delivering a satisfying meal with maximum appeal to aid recovery.
The system also ensures that even if my staff win the lottery I can still produce 720 meals! apetito has provided support, industry knowledge and delivered exactly what it promised.”
KEY FACTORS IN APETITO’S APPOINTMENT
- Quality and consistency
- Increased menu flexibility
- More choice, less wastage
- Marketing support
- Increased personal contact
- Close partnership