A major new Central Production Kitchen (CPK) driven by MYA Consulting and HCE Foodservice Equipment has transformed catering operations across University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the Royal Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Hospitals.
As part of a major reconfiguration programme, the Trust has invested in a new, state-of-the-art CPK at Bournemouth, which is already delivering meals for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, with Poole and Christchurch set to follow.
The CPK will enable the Trust to continue to deliver a scalable patient catering model for up to 3,000 patient meals per day as the overall project progresses, across the three sites which span a six-mile radius of the central kitchen. In total, it will be required to produce around 20,000 meals each week for patients and retail services, once it is up to full capacity.
The kitchen team works on a cook/freeze model, with batch cooking at scale which is then portioned, levelled, sealed and frozen. Regen trolleys are then used to regenerate meals and deliver to wards.
MKN’s leading cooking equipment is at the heart of the operation, where chefs have access to two FlexiChef multifunctional cooking appliances, five FlexiCombi combi ovens, two 200 litre multifunctional mixing kettles and two Optima 850 induction hobs.
In addition, MKN’s appliances are connected to the Sicotronic energy optimisation system from kitchen technology specialists Ki-Tech Solutions. This innovative system overcomes the issue of insufficient capacity in the electrical system, which is increasingly faced by commercial kitchens as they transition from fossil fuels to electric power. Instead, it balances the load to meet peak power demand with a lower electrical supply than would be anticipated from the initial project designs, whilst also helping to future-proof the kitchen for any future expansion.
The project and design were led by MYA Consulting, an international hotel and catering consultant that delivers specialist design and in-depth advice on catering facilities, and management for critical projects.
Appliances were supplied and installed by HCE Foodservice Equipment, supporting the main contractor Amiri Construction, all in close collaboration with MKN and Ki-Tech Solutions to deliver enhanced support, commissioning and user training.