Award Served up for Hospice’s Spotless Kitchen
Oct 26, 2010
Cooks at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice are celebrating after scooping a prestigious award for their kitchen’s spotless hygiene standards for the second year in a row.
The Hospice’s Catering Department picked up the ‘H for Hygiene Award’ from Birmingham City Council following an inspection earlier this year.
Under the award’s three judging criteria, Birmingham St Mary’s scored ‘good’ for Confidence in Management; ‘very good’ for Structural Compliance; and ‘very good’ for Compliance with Hygiene. As a result of these combined scores, the Hospice was served up five ‘Hs’, the highest award level an organisation can receive under the council’s cleanliness scheme.
The accolade was greeted with delight by Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice kitchen staff. Catering and Housekeeping Manager June Underhill (pictured with Janet Hidson (right)) said: “It’s welcome recognition of everyone’s efforts and I would like to thank each member of my team for helping us to attain such an achievement. This is an extremely proud moment for everyone who works or volunteers in the catering department.”
June’s team provide food for a diverse range of diners, namely patients, staff and volunteers as well as conference delegates at the Hospice. Meals also take account of the various cultural heritages of Birmingham St Mary’s users, with an array of global cuisines prepared at the charity’s kitchen.
H for Hygiene Inspectors made the following remarks when judging Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice’s catering cleanliness:
- Confidence in Management
Good - Reasonable record of compliance. Technical advice available in-house or access to and use of technical advice from trade associations. Have satisfactory documented procedures and systems. Able to demonstrate effective control of hazards. Will have satisfactory documented food safety management system.
- Structural Compliance
Very good - High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice; conforms to accepted good practices in the trade.
- Compliance with hygiene
Very good - High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice; conforms to accepted good practices in the trade.
The accolade is judged according to the Food Standards Agency’s Code of Practice. For further details about the award scheme go to: www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk.
Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.
With around 52 percent of the Hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell.
In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to people who wish to stay in their own homes.
The Hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.
Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS.
Birmingham St Mary’s nurses, often referred to by patients and relatives as ‘angels’, are renowned for going that extra mile to ensure people with terminal illnesses enjoy the best possible quality of life.
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