The national association which supports hospital catering received a talk from Stockport NHS Foundation Trust on the importance of the nursing contribution to the patients’ dining experiences.

Claire Gibson, estates and facilities matron for the trust, addressed the Hospital Caterers Association learning and development forum in Birmingham on initiatives colleagues are taking at Stepping Hill Hospital to ensure patients’ nutritional needs are met.

She explained how ‘Power of Three’ in use at the hospital, where the expertise of three key staff;  a catering lead, a catering dietician, and a senior nurse, have helped them to ensure good nutritional standards.

Duncan O’Neill, catering support services manager also took part in a stakeholder panel at the forum to discuss the importance of hospital catering provision.

Stepping Hill Hospital is a national exemplar site for healthcare catering, and has won a number of accolades in recent years including the national ‘NHS Chef of the Year’ competition in 2022. Duncan shared examples of their award winning work with catering colleagues from across the country.