MYA Consulting defines a new level of excellence in Central Kitchen design for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
MYA Consulting are renowned for developing kitchen design solutions for large-scale operations, indeed with the hospitality industry facing the increasing challenges of skills shortages, commodity pricing and supply volatility, many organisations are exploring the option of central production kitchens.
Dorset University hospitals NHS trust, which includes the Royal Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch Hospitals, has invested in a state-of-the-art Central Production Kitchen (CPK) at Bournemouth as part of a major reconfiguration programme.
They appointed MYA two years ago to help design its new central production kitchen. This ambitious trust is determined to transform food for patients, visitors, and staff, recognising that good food is indeed the best medicine.
The project was led for the Trust by Emma Honnywill the Catering Transformation Operational Manager, “we appointed MYA for their vision, industry knowledge, and design skills. It was critical for the success of the project that the MYA team listened and related well to our teams and bought new ideas and technology to the project and above all supported the trust team throughout the phase of this complex project.”
The MYA team began by analysing demand and establishing the requirement the CPK would need to cope with. The Trust’s ambition was that the CPK could deliver up to 3000 meals a day including supplying other institutions. Safety is always critical when it comes to kitchen design but is even more important in an hospital environment. A fully integrated HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) is the cornerstone of the design considering this at the start of a design project mitigates risks throughout. With the detailed designs completed and the specifications written, MYA then supported the trust in selecting a kitchen fit out partner.
MYA Consulting assisted with the appointment of HCE Foodservice Equipment, who worked alongside MYA to help deliver the project for the hospital team. George Panks MYA’s Creative Director praised HCE’s efforts, stating that they went above and beyond, ensuring well-coordinated equipment delivery and being readily available for queries and questions throughout the project.
MYA Consulting’s long-standing relationship with MKN, a leading cooking equipment manufacturer, also played a crucial role in the project’s success. Having worked with MKN for more than ten years, MYA Consulting is well-acquainted with the standard of their manufacturing and product development.
Emma Honnywill from the Trust says: “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. We also needed to ensure that this project fitted with the Trust’s green plan strategy, which includes making sure that the new equipment was efficient and could help us fulfil our green credentials. We had some real challenges internally on the project around timelines, but the insight and knowledge MYA brought to the project and the support they have given has been invaluable.”
The end result of the collaboration between MYA Consulting, HCE Foodservice Equipment, MKN, and the Trust is a high-standard, efficient, and sustainable CPK that has improved staff morale and is fully scalable to meet the Trust’s future needs. MYA Consulting’s expertise and knowledge have been invaluable in bringing this project to life and enhancing the delivery of catering services across the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.
