To demonstrate the commitment of Direct Services Catering, the following areas of expertise are available to all customers:

• Specialist catering management knowledge.
  
  

• Expert knowledge of Food Hygiene and Health & Safety legislation.
  
  

• Audited financial systems and control information.
  
  

•  A high quality personnel service encompassing recruitment and selection; employee relations; and training and development.
  
  

• Regular management visits by a dedicated area catering management team with the added benefit of documented audit results on demand.
  
  

• Established nutritional guidelines and menu analysis.
  
  

• The commitment to regularly research, define and deliver customer needs by the use of surveys, questionnaires and user groups.
  
  

• A partnership approach for dual funding of service development initiatives.
  
  

• Networking with other local authorities for benchmarking purposes and sharing of good practice.
  
  

• The commitment to provide trained and experienced staff who understand the needs of the service.
  
  

• Equipment Maintenance
  
  

• Health & Safety Inspections
  
  

• Kitchen refurbishment

We aim to deliver:

• A catering service provision that meets your individual needs and is realistic and achievable, both financially and operationally.
  
  

• A fully committed catering service delivery team with dedicated management support.
  
  

• Quality of food and service which reflects customers' preferences in all cases.
  
  

• The retention of a management team which possess a breadth of expertise suitable for the provision of advice on all aspects of catering.
  
  

• Catering staff who are trained to respond to the changing needs of a dynamic educational environment.
  
  

• Innovation in the development of marketing and promotional activities to increase customer awareness, satisfaction and ultimately meal uptake.
  
  

• Menus and products that reflect government nutritional guidelines.
  
  

• A reliable financial control system which provides management information to facilitate future development.
  
  

• The benefits of economies of scale due to a broad purchasing policy which guarantees raw materials of the highest quality.
  
  

• Due diligence in all aspects of the catering service to comply with current relevant legislation.
  
  

• Commitment to a strong partnership between you the customer and ourselves to ensure the optimum catering provision for now and in the future.

Direct Services Catering obtained the Investors In People award in July 1998 and has successfully retained it, year on year. We believe that this clearly demonstrates our commitment to staff and customers alike.  Furthermore, by consultation with stakeholders, we are able to continue to improve on previous achievement.

Further evidence of our commitment to continuous improvement and customer focus is provided by our external accreditation for Hospitality Assured, the Hotel & Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) standard for business and service excellence in the hospitality industry.  This process includes an annual rigorous external review by Hospitality Assured assessors who interview a cross section of staff and examine working practices and procedures employed.