A printed pictorial menu card project for Guys & St Thomas Foundation Trust’s catering department has won an award for the “Most Effective Equality and Inclusiveness Programme”, thanks to the innovative design and layout processes undertaken by CDP Print Management, through its Acorn web ordering system. 

The award was one of those presented at the YourFoodJob.com People Awards, which are dedicated to celebrating the exceptional work carried out by the finest practitioners in the food and beverage industry.

Having completed a print menu project for the catering department at Guys & St Thomas, which allowed the department to build and order a weekly menu from a database of dish selections, the CDP team were asked to examine ways of automating the Trust’s pictorial menu system.

The pictorial menu was devised to help people staying at the hospital who may have either learning or speech difficulties, or for whom English is not a first language. A series of pictures and symbols enable the patient to be able to make a decision based on the images, whilst also providing dietary information for both the patient and catering department.

CDP then examined the options on automating the client’s current binder system, whilst at the same time preserving the client’s working process.

In the end a static card was created for each menu option, which contained descriptive, pictorial and dietary information on each dish contained within the menu. A software programme enable the cards to be programmed so that they would drop into any one of eight positions within an A4 size template, and were made selectable depending upon their category of being either a main dish, side or dessert.

The end result was a dynamic visual product that provides 148 card choices, creating an innovative device for both patients and health care professionals.

Commenting on the success of the project, CDP Print Management Chairman Paul Scanlon stated, “This project was a collaboration of the clients requirements and our capabilities, it is great to think that we have helped patients.”

Staynton Brown, Associate Director for Equalities and Human Rights with Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, said, “Innovation often comes through developing seemingly unlikely partnerships. Our partnership with CDP in designing, creating and producing the menus shows the benefits of exchanging ideas, strong working relationships and trust. The benefit of the collaboration has benefitted some of our most vulnerable patients. I’d like to extend a huge thank you to the CDP team.”

The YourFoodJob.com People Awards judges felt that the visual menu stood out for raising standards in the industry, as well as improving the health and recovery of patients. “A truly life-saving entry,” was the comment.

They also felt the menu provided, “An innovative database that automatically links meal choices with images to generate visual menus that can be ordered and printed”.

CDP is a preferred supplier to the NHS, and has become one of the largest independent and longest established UK companies providing print management services since 1974.

The Acorn web ordering system has over 360 registered buyers and in excess of 550,000 product lines, helping to meet the extensive needs and requirements of today’s print procurement professionals.

CDP delivers print management services to a wide variety of clients and industries, with a strong experience and track record particularly in the sectors of; Social Housing, Financial Services, Home Shopping, Retail, Health Care, Education, Direct Marketing, Payroll and Security.