Musgrove Park Hospital Recognised for its Work with apetito in ‘Making a Real Difference’ to Hospital Catering….
At the recent Hospital Caterers Association in Glasgow, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust won the prestigious ‘Hospital Caterer of the Year‘ award. The bulk of the Patient Meals included in this award are supplied by apetito under a contract awarded via a PPSA procurement process.
The press release from apetito highlights the work conducted in partnership with Taunton and Somerset to deliver real and practical benefits to the Trust and their patients. For further information about this contract, please contact Gary Turner.
Earlier this year the cream of the hospital catering sector was honoured at the annual Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) Awards in Glasgow, where Musgrove Park Hospital (Taunton), scooped the Hospital Caterer of the Year Award, for its innovative and inspirational approach to hospital food, working closely with leading food-company, apetito.
Musgrove Park was recognised for having made a real and positive difference in its hospital catering provision in the year. It was highlighted as a leader in the field, developing best practice initiatives in key areas such as food waste reduction and 
making a significant saving on cost – over £140,000 per year – without any loss in food quality.
Philip Shelley, Facilities Manager for Musgrove Park, explained that some of the changes Musgrove Park made were simple but highly effective and that apetito had played a pivotal role alongside his own team:
“By moving to a ‘same day system’ and working closely with apetito, the housekeeping team and the ward nurses, we reduced food waste from 21% to a staggering 5%, through effective monitoring of patients’ needs and hospital bed turnover. In turn, this reflects a £140K cost saving which speaks for itself”.
“I’m incredibly proud that the team has set the bar for other hospital Trusts when it comes to food management and from bringing in apetito as a new food partner and taking on a wider range of meals to suit all dietary needs, to driving communication between catering and nursing staff, Musgrove Park Hospital has proven that small steps can lead to big results”.
As well as a new food delivery programme, a new food folder was produced to provide the housekeeping staff on each ward with a greater depth of information and clarity on the meals that were being offered to patients. This was “enormously influential in successfully implementing the new allergen regulations” which came into effect in December 2014.
As well as tackling allergies, apetito also supplies Musgrove Park with its world-leading texture modified range, suitable for patients suffering from health issues such as dysphasia (whereby a patient is unable to swallow properly) and its Carte Choix range which has been adopted across two wards at Musgrove Park allowing patients to enjoy delicious, plated meals on a flexible and individual basis.
Advocating the ‘power of three’ whereby the caterer, the nursing team and housekeeping work together to ensure a joined up approach, Musgrove Park was commended for its work in driving best practice in hospital catering and its passion for delivering nutritious meals that delight and meet patient’s bespoke dietary needs.
For more information on apetito’s bulk range and texture modified products go to www.apetito.co.uk