Stepping Hill Hospital’s catering team have been recognised for their great service and standards by being shortlisted for four separate national awards.
Catering Manager Duncan O’Neil is up for the title of ‘Catering Manager of the Year’ at this year’s Public Sector Catering Awards, Head Chef Nick Roberts has been nominated in the ‘Hospital Catering’ category, while the team as a whole have been selected in both the ‘Hospital Catering’ and ‘Team of the Year’ categories.
Under Duncan’s leadership the catering department has worked to ensure high nutritional standards, both for the meals it provides on the wards, and for its staff and visitor restaurant too. Themed food days have contributed toward a wide and varied choice of cuisine which receives consistently good feedback.
Duncan has been praised by colleagues for his hard work, innovation, and his dedication to improving staff morale during the tough times of the pandemic, helping to organise special ‘Foodie Fridays’ together with outside food vendors to provide colleagues with reduced price treats during selected periods. He is described as a supportive boss who helps colleagues to progress in their roles.
Nick Roberts was recruited to the position of Head Chef in 2021 and managed to introduce positive changes for patient and staff menus despite the pressures of the pandemic. He is keen to get out to wards and departments to seek patient feedback and uses this to shape menu choices, introducing a number of well received new dishes. He has a positive attitude which has helped to improve the patient experience.
Together, the team have helped organise a complete hospital refurbishment in the past year to create a more comfortable and welcoming environment, and the introduction of a new electronic ordering system for patients on the wards has ensured patients have a wide and easily accessible choice, and that food wastage is kept to a minimum.
Last year, the team was as an ‘exemplar site’ for demonstrating high NHS catering standards, one of just 14 across the country.
Paul Featherstone, Director of Estates and Facilities said “Duncan, Nick and the whole team have shown a consistently positive and innovative approach in achieving great catering standards at the hospital, ensuring both patients and colleagues get the high nutritional standards they need while making food tasty and enjoyable too. I’m very pleased their hard work has been recognised with these award shortlistings, which are really much deserved.”
The Public Sector Catering awards celebrate the best in catering in the public service across the country. The winners will be announced in a ceremony at the London Metropole Hilton Hotel on April 7th.