Cost Sector Catering Social Care Award

Dorset County Council’s Catering Team won the Social Care Award at the Cost Sector Catering Award’s in London on Thursday 16th April 2009.
Since the Department of Health launched the Improving Nutritional Care Action Plan in January 2008, the catering services team at Dorset County Council has worked tirelessly to ensure developments in all of its priorities.
The team ensured that the message of the link between nutrition and good health was conveyed to all those involved in the care services within Dorset.
They held an Appetite for Ageing conference that was well supported. With 165 attendees and selling out months in advance, the conference was innovative and thought to be the first of its kind to be held by a local authority.
The catering services team have also been working with the National Association of Care Catering and the National Patients Safety Association to develop the European Alliance’s 10 Characteristics of Good Nutritional Care for Hospitals to be relevant to all care settings. Once agreed, appropriate tool kits will be produced to form the basis for all future guidance on nutritional care within the sector.
When it came to encouraging the provision of access to relevant training on the importance of nutrition, rather than wait for the Nutritional Summit Deliverance Board to provide training, the team took the initiative. Despite the restraint of local authority finance, they presented a persuasive argument on its importance and received funding, enabling them to develop nutritional training for all staff involved in care.
The download below shows Sue Hawkins, Sarah Balchin, and Charlotte Snell collecting on behalf of the whole team the award from Paul Freestone of apetito the sponsor and, compere for the evening Cheryl Baker.