Hospital Catering Award

The Hospital Catering Award is presented to the NHS Trust that has strived to improve the standard of food and its nutritional value for the benefits of both patients and staff.

2009 WINNER: County Durham and Darlington Foundation NHS Trust

Darlington Memorial Catering Department

The Darlington Memorial Hospital Catering Department is responsible for the provision of catering services across two large acute hospitals and four community hospitals. In addition to providing the in-house catering service to patients, staff and visitors, the department has been successful in generating commercial contracts with other NHS Trusts and healthcare concerns. The Central Production Unit produces 20,000 meals per week with a team of five dedicated chefs.

Darlington Memorial Hospital was the first hospital in the County to introduce organic milk for patients, staff and visitors. Purchased from a local dairy farmer, the initiative has led it to become an active member of North East Land Links (NELL).

In 2006 the Catering Department were successful in achieving ISO 9001-2000 for the supply of cook chill food.  It then achieved ISO 9001-2000 for the Domestic Services in May 2007, and then Restaurant and Portering Services in November 2007.

Food Safety Officers from the five councils that make up Tees Valley developed and launched the Tees Food Hygiene Award Scheme. Following inspections, the awards are based on a star rating. The Central Production Unit was one of only two catering establishments in the area that achieved this level. A new patient menu card system is more user friendly, and incorporates a section of questions for patients to answer on their experience with regard to food, environment and care. Menus are scanned in twice a day to provide real time data.

Improving the experience of each patient is at the centre of the aims and objectives of the catering department, and it has demonstrated year-on-year improvement in both local and national surveys. Patient Environment Action team reports for 2009 list the food quality at all five sites as excellent, more evidence that hard work and dedication has seen the catering services department at Darlington go from strength to strength.

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