Shropshire hospital catering manager in the running for award

Dan Hoggett, who has been in the role at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry since 2017, is celebrating after being announced as one of six finalists in the Catering Manager of the Year Award, at the Public Sector Catering Awards.

Martine Williams, facilities manager, and Sian Langford, deputy facilities manager, nominated Dan in the category, hailing him for always putting patients first and going above and beyond to support the rest of the catering team.

Martine said: “Dan’s management style can certainly be described as leading by example.

"Far from being chained to his desk, he likes to be a part of the busy kitchen team, bouncing ideas off the team of chefs for the patient service or in the restaurant trying out new dishes.

“Dan visits patients across the trust on a daily basis – this can include meeting a patient in pre-op who has multiple allergies to ease their worries about eating whilst an inpatient or spending time with a patient on the ward who’s not eaten in days after a long course of antibiotics.

“He truly understands the importance of food as a part of the patients’ recovery and will go above and beyond to make sure we can offer that patient something not only nutritious, but that they want to eat.”

Lucky

Sian added: “I speak on behalf of the whole facilities management team when I say we feel lucky to call Dan one of our own – his passion for his job is infectious and he pushes himself and those around him to think outside the box.”

The Public Sector Catering Awards celebrate individuals, teams, companies and organisations who work in the public sector environment including hospitals; schools and colleges; emergency services and more.

Dan said: “I was in shock when I found out Martine and Sian had nominated me, but I feel extremely lucky to have such supportive managers.

“I always aim for our patients and staff to have access to high-quality; nutritious meals and I love to be creative with meal ideas – often thinking of unique and different foods.

“I have a great team behind me, and none of it would be possible without their dedication and skill.”

He will find out if he’s crowned the winner of the award at a virtual ceremony taking place on September 15.