New CPK is helping to drive kitchen efficiencies at Royal Bournemouth Hospital
A major new Central Production Kitchen (CPK) using MKN cooking equipment linked to the Sicotronic energy optimisation system 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, driven by MYA Consulting and HCE Foodservice Equipment, 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.
Emma Honnywill, Transformation Operational Manager University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust supporting facilities and catering projects, said:
“The kitchen flow is better and, ultimately, it allows us to deliver a more sustainable, more efficient service than we could previously, and is fully scalable as we continue to reconfigure across the Trust.”
