Catering
Good practice example
Issue
Performance monitoring
Trust
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
Date
September 2001
Description
The Trust has established a rigorous system of target setting
and review that includes regular reporting and publication of
results to patients and staff. The results from the Trust’s
programme of Ward liaison and food audit reports are
included in the performance reviews.
Contact details
Stella Gardener
Trust Catering Manager
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
Southampton General Hospital
Tremona Road
SOUTHAMPTON SO16 6YD
Tel: 023 8079 6212
ACUTE HOSPITAL PORTFOLIO
Good practice example
1. Performance monitoring – Southampton University Hospitals NHS
Trust
What area needs improving?
Continuous service improvement doesn’t happen by chance but through good
planning and effective control. Trusts should have a clear vision of how the catering
service supports the overall achievements of their objectives. The implementation of
the NHS Plan recommendations needs to be integral to any department’s programme
of work. The setting and monitoring of targets is essential to demonstrate
improvements in performance.
Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust has achieved good performance in
catering for a number of years and has had a Performance Management Strategy in
place since 1996. The challenge for the trust is to ensure that the service continually
improves whilst implementing the NHS Plan recommendations.
Southampton operates a conventional cook-serve system that is plated centrally and
delivered to wards and served by HCA’s with support of domestic staff. They have
been awarded Investors in People and Charter Mark.
How can this be achieved?
Southampton NHS Trust has implemented a rigorous system of target setting and
performance review. A yearly business plan for catering is drawn up that outlines
market analysis, service strategy and management actions. This sets the objectives
and work programme for the year. Much of the 2001/2002 business plan relates to the
introduction of the new national dishes by December.
The Catering Department has set targets and standards that must be achieved. These
focus on patient and user satisfaction, acceptable temperature of food, complaints,
achievement against budget and wastage levels. Performance against these targets
and the other management actions set out in the business plan are reviewed quarterly
by the catering management team. These reviews also incorporate the results of the
monthly catering managers’ meetings. At these meetings the actions to the following
are discussed:
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Written compliments & complaints
Incident records
Informal customer comments
Ward liaison and food audit reports (These audits are undertaken on a rolling
programme so that each ward is visited every two months. The audit involves a
catering manager asking ward staff and patients their views on the catering
services and sampling meals for temperature, appearance, smell, taste, texture and
portion size).
AUDIT COMMISSION
2
ACUTE HOSPITAL PORTFOLIO
Performance against targets are then publicised in flyers; ‘Putting patients first’,
‘Caring for our staff and visitors’ and ‘Caring for our staff – theatre vending’. These
are displayed on notice boards outside the restaurant and on wards.
As a holder of Investors in People, the targets and management actions are cascaded
down to objectives for individuals. An annual appraisal takes place for each member
of staff where progress is discussed and training needs identified.
How much might it cost?
Performance monitoring should be an integral part of the operation of a catering
department. It is part of the catering management team’s role to undertake the ward
liaison and food audit reports. At Southampton they have a Project Manager who
overall takes responsibility for quality and wastage issues that are two of the
departments key targets.
What are the most factors that must be in place for success?
Setting priorities for the service – The set targets and objectives must align with
these priorities and these need to be communicated to the catering team so that they
know where to focus their effort.
Making monitoring routine – Monitoring of performance against targets should not
be seen as a one-off task but embedded into the operation of the department. By
making monitoring routine it encourages staff to think about the next improvement so
services don’t stand still but continuously improve.
How well did the trust perform on the diagnostic indicators?
The results of the diagnostic audit show Southampton NHS Trust performance as:
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Total net cost per patient day at the median
Patient provision costs per patient day at the lower quartile
Wastage levels at the lower quartile
Patient satisfaction at the upper quartile
Monitoring checklist at the upper quartile
Nutrition checklist at the upper quartile
AUDIT COMMISSION
3