by Josh Ronsfell

THE catering team at The University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UMBHT) have been recognised at the Building Better Health Care Awards by winning the Facilities Team of the Year award.

Over the past 12 to 18 months the team has been working hard with celebrity chef, James Martin, to revamp menus into wholesome nutritional food and have been rewarded for their hard work.

Tracy Litt, Catering Manager at UHMBT, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won this award and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved.

"Our team works really hard to make sure our patients and visitors get the best possible food, and that we are also promoting the importance of nutritious food in and out of our hospitals.”

The head chefs within catering group have been working hard with some of the local schools and more recently have launched a new ‘bulk’ service which enables catering staff to take full control of the service from the delivery wagons to the wards.

“The new ‘bulk’ service gives us a fantastic opportunity to connect with the ward staff and help support the patient meal time experience. It also gives patients the opportunity to request more if they are still hungry, and helps reduce food waste,” said Litt.

Furthermore, the team made up of 90 members offers a community meal service that gives patients who are ready to be released from hospital homemade food delivered to their door.

In addition, UMBHT catering services team has launched ‘to-go-bags’ which are given to patients on discharge from hospital, free of charge. These bags contain basic essentials to ensure patients have adequate food and drink when they return home.

The judges of the Building Better Healthcare believe the team’s effort is the main reason behind receiving the award.

“This is an exceptional team effort that will have a huge impact on the wellbeing of patients, in both the hospital and the local community,” they said.