Hospital meal preparation is a round-the-clock job for NHS caterers

Jan. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- There may be an absence of television cameras and celebrity diners, but the working day for NHS caterers Lifespan Catering Services is no less intense than that of a busy restaurant.

Based in Fulborn near Cambridge, Lifespan Catering Services employs around 55 members of staff – and produces a staggering 32,000 portions of food every day of the year.

The whole process of preparing and ultimately delivering the ‘cook-chill’ meals to thousands of hospital patients is run with almost military precision under strict quality control guidelines.

A typical day at the relatively modest premises at the Ida Darwin hospital site starts at an unsociable 4.45am – where a shift supervisor and team leader unlock the freezers, fridges and holding rooms, where meals are packed and held in a chilled environment until ready to be dispatched.

Split into shifts and rotas, the working day can sometimes finish as late as 10pm.

The working day often starts long before many other local businesses have even unlocked their premises, and here is a snap shot of what goes on in ‘the place that never sleeps’:

5am – Three chefs start their shift, turning on cooking equipment and begin sorting out recipes and ingredients in the kitchen’s ‘Red Cooking area’.

5.30am – Pastry chef starts shift. Storeman checks in deliveries as they arrive and an early ‘picker’ helps portioning frozen items. Two delivery drivers load up, and meals begin their journey to Leicester and Norfolk.

6-9am – A designated weigh up technician begins to weigh dry ingredients ready for the chefs to cook the following day. Meanwhile, there is now full production in the ‘red cooking area’ where that day’s dishes are put together, cooked then Blast chilled. Deliveries continue.

8am – The final of the six drivers load up and depart for the London hospital run.

Noon – the late supervisor and team leader arrive, making continuous checks around production, helping and advising staff.

Production continues through the day until ‘close down’ when all areas are cleaned, checked, paperwork done and laundry bagged ready for collection.

And while the cooking equipment may have been turned off hours ago, there is still plenty to be done in terms of checking, conducting a hygiene audit and locking all fridges and freezers.

Lifespan Catering Services deputy catering operations manager, Helen Dakin said: “Team work is very important to us at Lifespan, our processes are such that each task completed in one area is done in preparation for the next task.  

“We do have to work closely and confidently with each other to ensure every component of our service is completed and delivered efficiently and on time. Our delivery drivers are the final link in the chain.”

Despite the challenges of road works and the recent extreme weather, Lifespan Catering Services has never failed to deliver its meals to patients.  

Helen added: “A good reporting system and back up plan in case of emergencies is also a great example of how teamwork counts for so much.”

Lifespan Catering Services is the catering arm of NHS shared services provider Anglia Support Partnership.

Pic cap:
The place that never sleeps! Work at the Lifespan Catering Services premises in Cambridge, which produces 32,000 portions of food each day.


Note to editors

For more press information contact Cetti Long at Media Matters on (01733) 371363 or email: cetti@mediamatters-pr.co.uk Lifespan Catering Services head of catering Trevor Colcomb on 01223 8841111 or Anglia Support Partnership head of communications Helen Fulcher on 01480 398633.

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