Publish date: 25 July 2024
We are pleased to announce the Trust Facilities Team in partnership with catering supplier OCS, have been awarded the 'Exemplar site' status by NHS England for their catering service at St Bernard's Hospital. The recognition is part of an NHS England initiative to enhance hospital food standards nationwide and set benchmarks for Hospital Trusts.
West London Trust is only the ninth NHS Trust in the country to receive this accolade.
In June this year a team of NHS England representatives visited St Bernard’s Hospital site to evaluate the Trust catering services. During the visit Professor Derek Tracy, Chief Medical Officer, along with Helen Lycett, Associate Director for Allied Health Professions and Clinical Lead Dietitian Sapna Tomar, provided valuable insights to NHS England representatives along with the Trust Facilities team.
The NHS Exemplar recognises the delivery of outstanding service. Facilities management will now share their insights and experiences to assist other trusts in achieving similar success. Moreover, it positions the Trust advantageously in the future to early access to new developments and initiatives from NHS England.
Timothy Radcliffe, Net Zero Food Programme Manager - NHS England said:
“It is exceptional to see the work being done on the Food & Drink strategy, putting patients first and the desire to have a bigger focus on sustainability. It was very encouraging to see the way that the eight standards are discussed at board level and using so many other forums to ensure food and nutrition are always on the agenda. I am impressed with the way Sapna is able to influence the menus ensuring compliance to the British Dietary Association and ten key characteristics.
Finally, what really stood out was the outstanding co-operation between OCS and the Trust. It really highlights what can be achieved when communication and a desire to succeed are put first.”
Key aspects highlighted in the evaluation included:
- Exceptional leadership and collaboration amongst the OCS catering team, facilities management, and clinical staff.
- Effective use of digital technology for meal ordering, efficient reporting and data-driven menu optimisation based on trends. This also falls in line with the guidance outlined in the National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink.
- A strong commitment to sustainability - West London is the first NHS Trust in South England to achieve a Green Kitchen Standard and one of a few to receive a Bronze Award in sustainability from the Soil Association. We aim to attain a Silver Award in 2024 by showcasing our continuous improvements.
- Excellent teamwork and collaboration among the Facilities team, OCS, Clinical Lead Dietitian, and Speech and Language Therapists have gone into creating a menu that incorporates significant input from clinical experts. Menus are tailored to meet the dietary needs of service users' and feature innovative options like a 50/50 mix of wholemeal pasta dishes and 60/40 meat dishes with 40% pulses to promote healthier eating.
With the knowledge and experience the Facilities team will gain in the coming months from achieving exemplar site status at St Bernard's Hospital, they aim to continuously improve Trust wide catering initiatives. Plans are underway to propose a change in supplier for community sites.