St Monica Trust wins Healthcare Caterer of the Year award

The judges highlighted the opening of The Chocolate Quarter and the quality of the food offering at both B Block Pizza and Somer Dining, as one of the reasons for the Trust winning the prestigious award.

They also praised the creation of the School of Food which is training a new generation of chefs, how the Trust has embraced technology to ensure that residents’ meals are balanced nutritionally and how initiatives, such as regular catering forums, ensure that customer satisfaction remains the key driver for the development of the Trust’s catering services.

Judge David Bridge, development chef, ISS Food and Hospitality, said: “What a great story. The St Monica Trust has introduced some amazing incentives and created a sense of community through its diverse catering and feeding venues.”

A remarkable twelve months…

The award was accepted on behalf of the St Monica Trust by Ian Joyner, Director of Facilities, Hospitality and Commercial Operations.

He said: “Alongside our Hospitality Assured 20th Anniversary Award, winning the Healthcare Caterer of the Year Award marks a remarkable twelve months for the Trust’s catering operations.

“This outstanding success has been achieved by the hard work that individual colleagues and teams put in on a daily basis across the Trust.

“It was especially pleasing that the judges recognised the contribution that both B Block Pizza and Somer Dining are making in encouraging the wider Keynsham community to access The Chocolate Quarter’s services.”

Illustrious company

The Trust faced competition from the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK with more than 13,500 employees and an annual turnover of £970m, and rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in their last inspection.

The event at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London was attended by 550 people from the contract catering world. Recent winners of the award have included Gracewell Healthcare, St Andrews Healthcare and Sunrise Senior Living.