News

WILSON VALE GAIN FIRST HEALTHCARE CONTRACT

Monday 4th April 2011

Wilson Vale have gained a contract with employee-owned social enterprise, Circle, to provide catering services in their Nottingham NHS Treatment Centre at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Lister Road, Nottingham, the largest day surgery hospital in Europe.

The two-year contract opened on 21st March 2011 and is a first for Wilson Vale within the healthcare sector. The independent caterers now provide catering services to 500 staff on site, as well as public catering for day patients and visitors.

Paul Gilbert, formerly at the international law firm, Wragge &Co LLP, has been appointed to take the food offering to new levels. Now all meats are slow cooked on site and cakes are freshly baked daily. The emphasis is on healthy, wholesome food using fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Circle was founded to redefine patient experience in the UK by introducing hospitality into healthcare and creating a healing environment in all of their facilities. Provision of high quality, nutritious and fresh food is a key part of the offering to patients.

Commenting on the changes made, Andrew Wilson, co-founder and managing director of Wilson Vale, said:”It has been quite a transformation. The food offering has gone from bought-in to real home cooking. We have rebranded the restaurant and we have on board one of our best chefs who has raised standards and created a real sense of pride within the on-site team.

“We gained the contract after a long and challenging tender process which involved several site visits to some of our existing catering operations so that our prospective client could experience our food and service levels first-hand.

“This is a very welcome and exciting addition to our existing B&I and education portfolio. We apply exactly the same principles across every contract; our focus is on freshly made food, using quality, seasonal ingredients, cooked and served by people who genuinely love what they do.”

Wilson Vale holds 65 contracts, mainly throughout the Midlands and in the north of England. Current annual turnover is £13 million and the company employs 550 staff.

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