About us
Our Central Production Unit (CPU) is based at Solihull Hospital, currently producing 50,000 cook-chill meals each week, over a five-day production to Heartlands, Solihull, and Good Hope Hospital.
Our success in healthcare catering and cook-chill hospital food production is due to our dedicated team of staff who receive, prepare, cook, portion, chill and seal food containers, before distributing all our products within the Trust and to our customers. We pride ourselves on our highly skilled, dedicated and committed team who have been trained in all aspects of kitchen production and food hygiene. We believe this is a major factor in retaining staff and developing the workforce.
The Production Team is supported by the Trust Catering Manager, CPU Support and the Catering Systems Manager, whom all have extensive knowledge and vast experience in the delivery of high-class healthcare catering services. Our cook-chill food is of the highest standard and quality.
Quality Standards
The Central Production Unit (CPU) has many Quality Systems in place which is essential to ensure food safety and to maintain quality. The service has been accredited with EN ISO 9001:2008 which is an International Quality Standard that continues to update its values.
The CPU also operates a full Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System (HACCP). This is a safe system of work procedures that documents the production process, from sourcing the raw products we use through production, to delivery to our customers. The control system identifies Critical Control Points (CCP) that must be documented, such as temperature controls, etc.
The CPU has been granted full approval as a food business establishment in accordance with European regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and has a unique approval code UK SO 008 EEC. It is also registered with the Food Safety Agency.
The Central Production Unit (CPU) operates under the award winning STS Solutions food safety management systems, meaning that the CPU operates in accordance with STS Code of Practice / Technical Standards for food processing / Supplying to the NHS & Public Sector. The CPU is externally audited every six months to ensure compliance with the standards.
Also, the CPU is visited by the Solihull Environmental Health department thought out the year.
Try before you buy
Visits to Our Central Production Unit (CPU)
If you are interested in finding out more about how we can help you, why not visit our CPU to see it in full operation. In our experience, seeing how and where our food is prepared, chilled, stored and dispatched can help offer you peace of mind and will reassure you of the excellent quality of food we provide.
Trialling Our Products
In addition to visiting our CPU, we can arrange for you to trial our products. We can also provide you with a presentation of our service, detailed information and a selection of dishes to taste for yourself, either at your premises or Solihull hospital. If you would like more information on this please contact the Trust Catering Manager
Selection & Choice
The Central Production Unit (CPU) offers a wide range and selection of main course meals, potatoes & vegetables, hot sweets, a variety of salads, and cold sweets.
The Trust is also able to provide specialised dietary meals, which have been designed primarily for the healthcare market. All our dishes are prepared using fresh ingredients and standardised recipes which ensure that the consistency and quality of each dish remain the same each time it is produced. The CPU operates a three-week menu cycle which is available upon request.
The menus have been designed by a specialist team of catering managers and dietitians and are coded to show diet suitability. We are continually developing new dishes to add to our menus.
Patient and Restaurants Menu
Customer Service
We have a team of managers on hand to assist you when introducing a Cook Chill/Cook Frozen Meal Service into your organisation and who can offer advice on any equipment requirements. We will also support you and your staff during the early stages of implementation to ensure you are satisfied with the system and can advise you on what document controls you require.
Should you decide to use our services, a manager from our team will be assigned to look after you during the agreed contract period and will arrange meetings with you as part of our ongoing service throughout the year.
Catering Department
Solihull Hospital,
Lode Lane,
Solihull,
B91 2JL
Telephone: 0121 424 5439
If you like more information about our service, or if you would like to request a detailed menu or price list, please contact our Catering Manager using the details above.
