Food is an instrumental part of a patient’s journey at Bupa Cromwell Hospital. It is a key element in rehabilitation and recovery, meeting patients’ physical, mental and nutritional needs. Good food also helps to boost morale and motivation. If you’re eating well, you will often start to feel better.
Our service is geared towards meeting individual needs, so each meal is tailored according to the patient. I liaise directly with the hospital’s dietitians on each patient’s specific dietary requirements. This can vary from a patient allergy to an ingredient, or a need to introduce specific nutrients into a patient’s diet. Patients often have negative connotations about staying in a hospital. However, at Bupa Cromwell Hospital, patients interact daily with our ward hosts and chefs to customise meal requests, giving a personal touch that makes a patient’s stay with us so special.
We create a menu of dishes that patients can choose from, meeting all requested requirements, whether cultural, religious or dietary, and we go one step further to tailor these requests and give the five-star treatment every patient deserves.
I enjoy making time to speak to patients personally and learn their preferences. This is especially important when preparing meals for patients undergoing oncology treatment, as their dietary needs must complement their treatment plan, such as a need to maintain weight and the body’s store of nutrients. I love to interact with patients on a one-to-one basis. Having a genuine conversation enables me to understand a patient’s individual tastes and whether these may have changed during their stay with us. It is such a rewarding feeling when I see the look on a patient’s face, once they realise that someone is taking the time to listen to their individual requests and create dishes tailored to them.
Typically, how many people does your team serve daily, and how many staff do you have in your team?
On average, our team prepares meals for 100 patients daily. Many of our patients are accompanied by family or friends whom we also cater for, often meaning we prepare around 175 three-course meals over each meal service.
It is vital that we keep our hospital staff well-fuelled and ready to support the treatment of our patients; therefore, additionally, we prepare a daily buffet for upward of 200 nursing staff, consultant clinicians and hospital visitors who wish to dine in our recently refurbished Cromwell Restaurant. Typically, this consists of fresh salad, fruit and grain options to full meat and vegetarian hot courses and desserts.
Our catering team is made up of six chefs and eight ward staff, who liaise with patients daily. This level of interaction between our team and patients is crucial to their overall wellbeing during their stay with us. Having a daily visitor during meal service allows patients to break up their day and chat with a friendly member of the team.
The level of service is very similar to catering at a five-star hotel, as our team provides round-the-clock food and beverage service. Rest and recuperation is the best way for a patient to recover, and our flexible meal service can meet this need. We aim to serve a meal within 10 minutes of a patient placing an order. We serve hot meals 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, whereas some hospitals may only offer sandwiches or cold food during the night. We feel It makes such a difference to the patients to have a hot meal available to them.
Prior to joining Bupa Cromwell Hospital, I had the honour of serving 26 years as a chef within the British Army, reaching the rank of Warrant Officer. I had the pleasure of travelling worldwide, preparing meals and banquets for senior-ranking military officers and royalty.
Towards the end of my tenure in the British Army, my wife’s mother fell terminally ill and was hospitalised for six months. The food and service standard I witnessed her receiving did not match my standards and I was motivated to enter this industry and make a difference to patients’ lives. I am very passionate about food – in fact, a patient’s attitude, mood and wellbeing are directly related to the quality of food they are served. ‘An army marches on its stomach,’ as they say. Well, it is the same with our patients. A speedy recovery means less time spent in hospital, and we are proud to play an integral part in a patient’s journey with us by serving high-quality, nutritious food.
Once a patient is admitted to the ward, I make a point to familiarise myself with their cultural and or religious preferences. I research and prepare national dishes; our menus are always evolving – as a passionate chef I am driven towards learning new dishes. I work closely with our International Patient Centre staff to better understand our international patients’ needs in advance of them travelling to us for treatment or when they arrive. This proves very comforting for long-stay patients who might relish a national dish away from home.
We have a selection of halal choices available every day, and we receive regular requests from patients travelling from the Middle East – dishes that are now available on our menu. Favourites include biriyani, of which there are five varieties freshly made on site, as well as chicken machboos and spiced poussin.
I am one small cog in a much larger wheel – that is the full Bupa Cromwell Hospital catering team, in which each person plays their part during the patients’ stay with the hospital.
I was delighted to receive this industry-recognised award as it highlights the quality of service we provide, particularly as hospitals don’t usually receive such accolades. Our goal is to give every patient the special service they deserve and put a smile on their faces when doing so.
