The Customer
Our customer is the West London NHS Trust, dedicated to delivering comprehensive mental and physical well-being services to the communities of West London, encompassing the boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith, and Hounslow.
The Challenge
As the chosen catering service provider for the West London NHS Trust (WLNT) sites, OCS is committed to introducing an innovative service solution. Our goal is to provide fresh, farm-to-fork food solutions that not only cater to the needs of service users but also promote various forms of occupational therapy and well-being. This initiative aligns with the Trust’s overarching mission of fostering ‘hope and well-being together’.
The Solution
We initiated a project known as ‘Grow Gardens,’ where we established community gardens within our serviced sites. Collaborating closely with the West London NHS Trust stakeholders, we diligently identified suitable spaces, prioritising accessibility and tailoring our efforts to meet the unique needs of the service users within WLNT. The gardens were strategically installed to yield vegetables and herbs, enhancing the nutritional quality of service user meals, all while aligning with the Trust’s sustainability objectives.
Our commitment extended beyond mere establishment; we developed a collaborative system to collectively tend and maintain the gardens. This involved harvesting produce and creating recipes for integration into our menus. To optimise the use of our spaces, we engaged specialist skills and labour through our trusted supply chain partners, ensuring the gardens thrived as integral components of our sustainability-driven initiative.
Thank you to facilities and our OCS colleagues for the wonderful kitchen garden at Clayponds. The building has only been under Trust management for three and a bit months, and already we are seeing a difference! This is a great initiative.
Katherine Murray
Assistant Director of Operations, West London NHS Trust
The Outcome
Regular visits by patients to the gardens at Clayponds Hospital have become a cherished routine, fostering meaningful social engagement between patients and dedicated staff who generously contribute their gardening talents to care for these green spaces. Notably, our initiative has successfully transformed the predominantly frozen food catering solutions available by introducing a variety of fresh produce. The gardens now boast an array of cultivated vegetables such as kale, sweet peppers, strawberries, runner beans, rhubarb, and lemon thyme, among others.
In addition to hospital staff involvement, we actively encourage hospital volunteers to participate in tending to the gardens. This not only allows them to give back meaningfully but also enables them to make valuable contributions to the well-being of their local community.
During my work placement I helped to build kitchen gardens at two hospitals so the staff and patients can enjoy growing and picking fruit and vegetables. It was hard work, but I didn’t mind because I could see that everyone liked the gardens. I really enjoyed my week with Leigh, and I learnt a lot about how to manage a team and about how much work goes into running a hospital that you don’t usually see.
Thomas
Work Experience Volunteer