We document a report from a Southmead hospital catering worker. From our own experience we know that it sucks if you are on a 12.5 hour shift and the only available food place nearby is closed due to staff shortage! You can’t live on Snickers alone…

The so-called “Princess Royal” Surgical Centre is a new building added to the hospital campus. This relatively medium-sized facility acts as a surgery and recuperation centre. The building cost around £49 million and was built to address the backlog of surgeries following COVID-19. However, the building also has a small but very important operation: The Beech Café.

The café is a simple, no-frills facility that provides coffee, tea, and hot food to patients, staff, and visitors. Due to ongoing staffing issues within the hospital’s catering department and café operations, it is common for one of the other cafés (The Willow in Maternity and the café in Learning and Research) to be closed. As discussed in the previous article about Southmead Hospital’s catering department, staffing remains an ongoing issue. This often leaves The Beech Café understaffed and, unfortunately, unable to fully fulfil its role and service. Many of the other cafés are located a significant distance from the Surgical Centre, which is unfair for many staff and patients, particularly those with mobility issues. There are also concerns about the profitability of The Beech Café due to low foot traffic. However, I would argue that this is an oversight. The National Health Service is a tax-funded public service, and profit should not be its primary motive.

Working at The Beech Café is often a thankless job. While the small space is relatively easy to manage, it requires two workers to operate efficiently. Too often, it is left to a single member of staff. I feel this is unfair, particularly considering the workload and the isolation that can come with working alone. If I were to offer advice to catering management, I would suggest that the café needs greater publicity and advertising to increase foot traffic. I would also recommend investing in outdoor seating. The café has also suffered from unreliable opening hours due to staffing shortages, an issue that was mentioned in the previous edition of this magazine.

Despite its limited capacity, many staff and patients are grateful for The Beech Café’s existence.

I would also like to point out that an automatic coffee machine can only provide the most basic coffees and does not offer the same range of options, particularly for those seeking non-dairy alternatives beyond a simple latte. The Beech Café should be an inviting and welcoming space.

I believe this could be achieved through investment and better promotion. Furthermore, with the many doctors and surgeons working within the Surgical Centre, maintaining morale is vital. I also think of the many visitors supporting loved ones through treatment and recovery. The human element of hospitality provided by The Beech Café can offer a sense of comfort that no vending machine or automated service can replicate. 

Story of a migrant worker chef

I would like to report with sadness that Karl the head chef of Vu restaurant and capable and kind man had to leave Southmead hospital catering department due to the fact that his sponsorship for his visa was about to expire due to the fact that paycheck was under the threshold. 

While my investigation is still ongoing, the reported story was that Karl needed to earn about £150 yearly extra to maintain his sponsorship. A trivial amount of money in the grand scheme of things. Allegedly the reason for not increasing his pay was the belief that the rest of the catering staff will have to be paid an increase… 

For pity’s sake, don’t we deserve to earn more than just above the minimum wage in the cost of living crisis? Now Karl has to move to the town of Rugby in Warwickshire for a new job that pays to the threshold. He has to move his whole family and leave the life that he had in Bristol.

Justice for Karl!