Apetito signs five-year contract with Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Food producer for the health & social care sector, Apetito, has won a five-year contract with the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Apetito will serve meals to a catchment population of over 350,000 people accross the Trust's Hillingdon and Mount Vernon hospitals in west London.
Apetito's offering includes a plated meal solution where meals are loaded onto individual patient trays and inserted into the Compactserv trolley. Separate cooking and cooling compartments allow hot meals to be cooked from frozen, whilst elements such as sandwiches and desserts are kept cool on the other side of the tray.
Once the process is complete, the trolley can be wheeled onto the ward where trays are simply lifted out and handed to patients as a complete meal.
The new system is due to be introduced on 1 November.
Rosemarie Hoyle, divisional manager at Apetito Healthcare, said: "We're delighted that the Hillingdon Trust has chosen to work with us and we look forward to working together to provide patients with quality, nutritious meals.
"From our collaboration with Socamel [compactserv designers], we are able to offer an advanced catering system not seen before in the UK. We are extremely proud of this and believe it will help drive the Trust to flagship status within the NHS."
Anne Byrne, facilities manager for the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We were particularly impressed with Apetito's range and the taste of their meals, as well as their commercial offer, and believe they can further enhance our already well-recognised, high-quality patient meal services at the Trust.
"A key part of the tender was around sustainability and respecting the environment, and Apetito's record on sustainability was a major factor in their success in winning the contract."
The hospitals' catering was previously provided by Anglia Crown.
Apetito creates and supplies meals working in partnership with around 400 hospitals, 400 care homes around the UK and are the leading provider of the UK's ‘Meals on Wheels' service in partnership with local authorities.
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