Trade News
apetito serves up a winning solution for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
apetito has helped to revolutionise the catering facilities at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust since the company won the contract in December 2007.
The leading supplier of frozen food was awarded the contract following a six month tendering process, in which it emerged with top scores in the assessment of quality, range, price, implementation and continued support.
Patients and staff at the Trust are now championing the benefits of a cook-freeze solution, which provides approximately 450,000 hot main course meals and limited desserts:
“The cook-freeze system has vastly improved our meals provision at the hospital, explains Kate Marrs, facilities site manager, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. “The quality of the food and range of products is unbeatable and what’s more, the patients love it!”
The hospital had previously relied upon a combination of a cook-serve system and plated meals service to deliver hot meals to its 750 patients. However, with growing concerns over the quality and efficiency of the service, the Trust decided to rethink its meals provision and source the best solution to meet the needs of its patients.
“We wanted to improve our meals provision in terms of convenience and food quality, explains Kate Marrs. “The previous cook-serve system needed a lot of investment. Not only was it labour intensive, but caterers were finding it increasingly challenging to maintain the temperature of the meals served to patients. There was also an issue with feeding times as some wards wanted food delivered earlier than others, and with the existing cook-serve system, meals had to be eaten at certain times. On reviewing the catering system, the Trust decided that a cook-freeze option best fulfilled its requirements and help the organisation overcome these obstacles.”
Starting up a new catering service is a daunting task and with 750 patients to feed, choosing the food provider was not a quick decision. With rigorous criteria set in place, the tendering process was extensive and challenging, but according to Kate Marrs, it was apetito’s commitment to service, food quality, and distribution that consolidated the Trust’s choice:
“The support and training package the company offers is fantastic, she explains, “both during the initial start up and with continued support. The company provided us with extensive training in the three months leading up to the implementation of the system and three months after, to ensure the transition ran as smoothly as possible and the catering staff were confident in managing the system.
“The transition has been a complete success. The cook-freeze system has really simplified the whole catering process. It not only allows us to deliver consistently hot, nutritious, quality meals to patients, but it has also given caterers flexibility by opening up a bigger window for eating times, which suits the ward and the patients. Our menu is also more flexible now, as we are able to cater for any unusual requests or specific needs - all we need to do is order the meals in and store them in a freezer.”
“The feedback from patients has been extremely positive”, concludes Kate Marrs. “They love the food and are very satisfied with the standard of meals which they now receive. We are very excited to be working with apetito, it is an ideal partnership.”
For further information, contact Kate Groves or Sophie Pettit, Splash Communications
Email: spettit@splashcommunications.com or Tel: 01225 348015
