Trust Catering Service awarded a Customer Service Excellence Award

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s (NHSCT) Acute and Community Hospital Catering Service has recently been awarded a Customer Service Excellence Award.

Formerly known as Charter Mark, the award demonstrates the achievement of the national standard for excellence in customer service, driving forward continuous improvement and creating a customer focused service delivery.

The service was assessed against five standards including customer insight, culture, information and access, delivery of service and timeliness and quality of service.

Maire Bermingham, Assistant Director of Corporate Support Services, said: “We are delighted with this recognition of the professional catering services delivered by Northern Trust catering staff who work throughout our Acute and Community Facilities. The award is an acknowledgement of the high standards of food and service provided and demonstrates the fact that catering staff are very focused on the importance of providing good customer service”.

The Trust’s Catering Service has specific patient food standards which are measurable and monitored through engagement with patients. The service proactively meets with in-patient focus groups allowing patients to discuss the catering service during their stay in hospital including those long stay patients who have specialist dietary and nursing requirements. Monthly feedback comment cards, ward observation food service audits and annual surveys with patients and ward managers are collectively used to ensure patients’ and customers’ individual dietary needs and requirements are met.

Individual patient profiles to identify specific catering needs have been developed in conjunction with ward managers and dieticians for specific patient groups including patients with dementia, palliative care, maternity and cardiology.

A patient food sampling programme has also been established where a multi-disciplinary team including staff from nursing, dietetics, portering, support services and League of Friends are invited to evaluate and comment.

A Calorie Wise Project has been introduced for customers visiting our restaurants which informs users of the nutritional calorie content of meals. Weigh and Pay has been introduced following customer feedback which allows customers to purchase as little or as much as they want from salad selections available. Additionally, user group meetings are held to consult and agree on standards and new key developments.

Pictured below are Violet Davidson General Manager Acute Catering and Domestic Services, Marcia Ormiston, Catering Manager, Bob McCann, Chairman, Geraldine Ward, Production Manager and Maire Bermingham, Assistant Director of Corporate Support Services.

6th May 2015