London & South East branch of HCA hosts Menu Development Day at Brakes HQ
The London & Southeast Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) branch hosted a Menu Development Day at Brakes HQ, focusing on what the perfect patient menu looks like, increasing menu resilience and dealing with supplier interruptions.
The day kicked-off with a welcome and offered an opportunity to meet some new people. Attendees participated in a discussion around topics such as:
- Working with more sustainable food suppliers
- Supplier service interruptions, with particular focus on recent events and the impact on patients and teams
- The upcoming changes in patient sandwich regulations and how this is going to impact services
- Participants shared menus and had a conversation on what works well and not so well
- A lack of plant-based options for patient menus
- Little choice of Afro-Caribbean menu choices
The Lunch break offered a chance to refuel and enjoy some of the best food ever served at a branch event. The afternoon session allowed the branch to split into two groups and have a deeper conversation on in-house produced patient meals and menu content.
The idea of a chefs exchange was discussed with resounding support. The regional branch will be taking this forward looking for catering managers to join up to the scheme, to support the personal development of chefs allowing Trusts to essentially swap chefs for a short time.
The Menu Development Day was a great success and the HCA regional branch is on the look-out for a sponsor and venue for a part two. Proposed event days for your calendar:
- September 26th: Late Summer Development day at Guys Hospital
- December 4th: AGM (via MS Teams)
- January 30th: Winter Development Day (Looking for a venue)
- Spring Development Day TBC
