PATIENTS at Musgrove Park Hospital will be looking forward to some fresh menus after the catering team moved into a new kitchen.

Its relocation to the centre of the hospital follows the demolition of the original kitchen in the Old Building, where the new sterile services centre is being built.

It’s part of the Musgrove 2030 programme to transform the hospital’s facilities and ensure people are cared for in the right place for their health needs.

Kevin Davies, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust catering manager, said the team was excited to have moved into the new kitchen.

He added: "It’s a real morale booster for the team who are thrilled to be moving into the brand new facility with modern equipment.

“There’s much more space in the new kitchen and it’s a better environment, so we’re already finding it easier to work in.

"It has a more homely feel for us after being in temporary accommodation for 18 months and it’s great we are now in a more central location on the hospital site.

“We’ve invested in some fantastic new equipment so we will look into what new types of food we can cook for our patients.

“We cater for up to 600 patients across the hospital every day, and we work closely with ward sisters and dietitians to ensure that patients are getting the right food to meet their dietary needs or preferences."

John Trotman, the trust’s senior strategic projects manager responsible for the development, said the move was essential for the next part of the surgical centre build.

“We’re pleased our catering colleagues will finally be able to settle into a new permanent kitchen following their decant into a temporary area over the last 18 months,” he said.

“The new kitchen has been built to cater for the potential expansion of the hospital in the future.

“We’ve been really pleased with the progress of the build with our partners at Kier doing an excellent job.

"Our catering team also went above and beyond in getting everything ready as we put the finishing touches inside the building.

“With our vascular team already relocating elsewhere in the Old Building, the upcoming moves of our sterile services department and superficial X-Ray department will mark the beginning of the major demolition works ready for the surgical centre build – very exciting times for the future of our hospital.”