What Matters - Catering at NHSGGC

QEUH patient Catering Service

The patient catering services department at the Queen Elizabeth University (QEUH) employs 270 members of staff. Catering staff provide breakfast, lunch and supper to patients and a range of supplementary snacks each day. This service is provided 7 days per week and involves staff working various work patterns and rosters. The importance of all staff being given the opportunity to participate in the survey was acknowledged by the Supervisory and Management team.  Each Supervisor allocated a personal, paper copy of the survey document to the staff for which they were responsible providing an overview of how it should be completed and the collection arrangements in place.

Supervisors were focused on encouraging and supporting staff to complete the survey and to ensure that surveys were returned either via the internal post boxes for collection or handing them back to the supervisors for collection. On a daily basis the supervisors maintained this focus by asking their teams if they had completed their survey and thanking them for their participation. Any staff who had not completed their surveys were provide with any support required and given time to complete it.

With the submission date now closed and the opportunity to participate in the survey passed. A selection of staff and Supervisors from our acute, children’s and retained wards were gathered to share their views. These are detailed below:

Why is the pulse survey important to you?

• So management know how we are feeling during this difficult time.
• So we can give our opinions.
• Shows that we are being thought off.
• To highlight issues with a view to getting them sorted.

Why is the pulse survey important to your team? (What do you think will come out of it?)

• Hopefully the issues raised will be rectified.
• Take in to account what staff have been through and how they have been feeling during this time.
• Hopefully create a better working environment.
• Stronger team bonding.

Why have you taken the time to participate in the survey?

• To see if my opinion does matter
• To provide a different outlook.
• I believe it might make a change.

Tricia Murphy, Assistant Patient Catering Manager, at the QEUH has been a key advocate for the Everyone Matters Pulse Survey and has taken a lead role in encouraging staff to participate and take the opportunity to express their views. Tricia has produced the following statement:

‘Working as part of the Facilities and Estates Directorate, where the majority of staff do not have regular access to a PC whilst on duty, it is so important to engage with this cohort of staff face to face so they too can provide their feedback.’

In Tricia’s department the supervisor’s personally handed the survey to staff and explained what the survey was about and asked everyone to fill it in and return it to the post box at the sign in desk.

Here we ask Tricia why it was important to her to fill in the survey:

Why is the Pulse Survey important to you? 

It’s good to give feedback as if you don’t, things can’t get fixed if needed.

Why is the Pulse Survey important to your team?

It’s good for staff to give their opinion so staff know they are important too, if they have issues things can get fixed.  It also provides the opportunity for staff to feedback any issues anonymously, which some staff feel more comfortable with.

Why have you taken the time to participate in the survey?

I took part so the information could be collected and I could have my say on how I have been feeling. It’s a good way to let the organisation know how I feel and hopefully this will help to make things better for the future.