Sean Cunnington, Key Account Manager, UNOX Australia

Sean (pictured L with IHHC Acting QLD/NSW State Chair Liam O’Toole) received this year’s Advocacy Award for his work with Aveo Retirement Villages in introducing UNOX’s Evereo Multi.Day ‘hot fridge’ solution across ten of its sites across Australia, with more to come.

Sean worked closely with Aveo’s food safety consultants to write standard operating procedures for the Aveo Food Safety Program, trained staff on the Evereo’s use, and supported Aveo management and teams on an ongoing basis.

The Evereo ‘hot fridge’ is a unique piece of technology which preserves cooked food for days at serving temperatures, using a combination of extremely precise temperature and atmosphere control. With the Evereo Multi.Day installed at Aveo’s facilities, a chef manager can now cook food on Thursday and place it into a Evereo ‘hot fridge’ for serving on Saturday, then cook food on Friday and place into the Evereo for serving on Sunday.

This has allowed Aveo to replace their weekend chef with a foodservice attendant to plate up and serve the food, secure in the knowledge it has been maintained at serving temperature with all nutrients ‘locked in’.

Thanks to the Evereo Multi.Day solution, Aveo residents can now enjoy great quality food seven days a week. It has also allowed Aveo to offer more hot meal choices when residents would like them, and provided cost savings on staff.

“It’s terrific to have received the Award,” says Sean, who is a familiar face at many IHHC events and a regular presence of the IHHC Conference and trade expo. “Food temperature preservation utilising the Evereo Multi.Day is unique to UNOX and it’s something we champion because we know it can help our aged care clients overcome some of their key daily business challenges. It allows them to offer more choice to residents without increasing their food or staffing costs and without adding to wastage. In fact it improves their sustainability outcomes by helping them be more efficient in their food production.”

Luke Hoskin, Hospitality Services Manager, The Wesley Hospital – UnitingCare Health

Luke is an unsung hero, a hospitality manager who possesses a surprising versatility. His leadership skills are exemplified in his open, honest and clear communication and actions – he shares relevant information with his team, explains the reasoning behind decisions and is truthful about successes, challenges and failures. This transparency has built trust, fostered a culture of openness and encouraged collaboration and accountability within his department.

To give one example: when a new dishwasher was installed, the routine changed requiring the team to adapt. One night they couldn’t complete the wash and called Luke. Without hesitation he arrived in the middle of the night to assist, then continued working his regular hours the following day. Luke has also made a major contribution to the hospital’s Room Service Project (see Project of the Year Award below).

“I’m deeply honoured and humbled to receive the IHHC Leadership Award and a big thank you to Health and Wellbeing Qld for sponsoring this award,” Luke says. “This recognition holds a profound significance for me because it celebrates not only leadership but also the core value of hospitality —caring for people, showing compassion, and making others feel valued — which lies at the heart of healthcare.

“I must acknowledge that leadership is never a solo endeavour. This Award reflects the dedication, passion, and collaboration of the incredible teams I’ve had the privilege of working with - every caregiver, staff member, and professional who has embraced our vision of compassionate care has played an essential role in making this possible.

“This Award is a reminder of the ongoing work to ensure that every person who comes through our doors feels seen, heard and cared for. It inspires me to continue striving for excellence and to push the boundaries of what is possible in blending hospitality with healthcare.”

Patient meals on demand - The Wesley Hospital Food Services team

The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane is one of Australia’s largest not for profit private hospitals. Prior to its hospital-wide ‘patient meals on demand’ room service model going live in 2023, it had offered traditional style hospital foodservice with a limited choice eight day menu cycle and patients ordering up to 24 hours in advance.

The implementation of the room service model commenced in August 2021 and required extensive planning and change management over its 18 month journey.

“To receive the Project of the Year Award for our Room Service model at The Wesley Hospital means so much to our entire team,” says Hospitality Services Manager Luke Hoskin. “It celebrates not only innovation but also our commitment to transforming the patient experience through personalised care.

“It was 2012 when we first envisioned room service in our hospital and I had just come onboard. It has been a long journey up until now and our goal was simple but ambitious. We wanted to give our patients the dignity of choice and control over one of the most personal aspects of their stay and allow them to order what they want when they want. We believed healthcare could take inspiration from hospitality and that by offering a service traditionally associated with comfort and luxury we could make a significant impact on patient wellbeing and satisfaction.

“The success of this project is a testament to the power of collaboration. I must thank our exceptional culinary, clinical and operations teams for their dedication and passion. This project was truly a multidisciplinary effort with each department playing a crucial role in making the vision a reality.

“A huge thank you must go to our hospital executive team for their unwavering support and belief in the value of enhancing the patient experience. Their commitment to innovation in healthcare has allowed us to take risks and push the boundaries of traditional care models. Without their trust none of this would have been possible.”

Adam Waugh, Production Manager, NSW Healthshare

Adam won our Brightest Star Award for his work as Production Manager at Port Kembla Hospital Food Production Unit, in which role he helped his team produce 13,000+ moist mince and pureed meal packs per week during a difficult time of change and transition.

In April 2023 it was announced that Port Kembla Food Production Unit would close along with the hospital, and from then until the last day of operations Adam prioritised his team, customers and the operation despite trying and uncertain circumstances.

Challenges were constant over the course of the eight month closedown period, but Adam demonstrated unwavering resilience despite two extensions and leading a team who were uncertain about their futures.

His management skills were evident in how well he maintained a positive team culture.

Not only was production maintained, Adam was also able to build contingency stock to ensure smooth service transition.

He made the project almost seamless by sharing his knowledge and expertise while keeping operations at Port Kembla running through staff shortages, loss of key personnel and challenges to maintaining motivation and commitment.

Following Port Kembla’s closure Adam has transitioned to the role of Commercial Operations Support Officer for Food Production, in which capacity he is still working with and supporting NSW Healthshare’s Food Production Units (now based at RPA and Hunter Corporate Catering) on various projects.

Adam tells us: “As I said to Lyn Grundy who accepted the Award on my behalf, it was very humbling to win, especially since I understand there were 13 other nominations.

“I’m very appreciative and a little bit surprised – I haven’t been nominated for many awards before so even to be nominated was pretty big. I’ve also had a lot of support from my colleagues and staff and I want to acknowledge how important they’ve been to this success.”

Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) Food Service Department

In 2022 The QCH food waste and sustainability program identified it didn’t have a waste management workflow supporting the segregation of tray waste and enabling capture of organic waste on wards.

All food waste captured at ward level was being diverted to landfill, and at times included items which could be donated to OzHarvest.

A new waste management workflow was therefore developed, tested and implemented all on wards over a six month period. This resulted in responsible management of more than 22,000kg of organic food waste annually, an increase in organic food waste capture and management from 20 per cent up to 85 per cent daily, and an average of 580kg non-perishable food items being donated annually to OzHarvest (equating to 1,120 meals).

The project result and the broader sustainability program was presented at the International Cleaning and Hygiene Exhibition in Amsterdam in April, and the results also contributed to CHQ’s successful nomination in the Queensland Health Clinical Excellence Advance Sustainability Award 2023, finalist placing in the Premiers Award 2023, and win of the Brisbane Lord Mayor WasteSmart Award 2023.

“It’s great to be acknowledged by this Award,” says Ryan Carmichael of the QCH Food Service Department. “The department provides around 1000 meals a day and the changes and efforts we’ve made are going a long way to making sure we’ve having a positive environmental impact.

“I think there are opportunities to take the initiative further, and we’ll be striving to do that over the next couple of years. We’re in the process of creating a vision for the department moving forward and sustainability is set to be a key feature of that – we’re always looking to find new ways of furthering our positive environmental impact.”

Mark Parmenter, Food Services Officer, STARS Hospital Brisbane

Mark exemplifies the core values of STARS Hospital and Metro North Health Services through his unwavering dedication, exceptional versatility and consistently positive attitude.

One example of how Mark has provided exceptional customer service over the past 12 months is when he went above and beyond to assist a patient facing a difficult situation.

Instead of simply addressing the immediate issue, Mark took the time to listen to the patient’s concerns, provide empathetic support and offer additional resources to help the patient navigate through challenges.

Through his caring and proactive approach, Mark demonstrated a true commitment to exceptional customer service by making sure the patient felt heard, supported and valued throughout the entire process.

Mark’s positive attitude and calm presence have a noticeable impact on team morale, fostering a more positive and productive work environment.

He is a go-to person whenever assistance is needed, thanks to his willingness to help and positive energy. Mark’s versatility and dedication are truly commendable.

“I was over the moon to have won – I’ve been telling all my friends!” Mark says. “I work with a great team at STARS and I was very pleased to go to the IHHC Awards which was a fantastic evening. I really appreciated just being nominated, but to actually win the Award is something to cherish.”