Foodservice provider, Bidfood unveils plans for new Liverpool Distribution Centre  to meet increasing customer demand

ONE of the UK's leading foodservice providers, Bidfood, has unveiled exciting plans for a new state of the art, temperature controlled Distribution Centre  in Liverpool. As part of another multi million pound investment plan to further expand its local depot network, Bidfood is keen to increase its presence in the North West to cater for its growing customer base.

The new distribution facility, on a 5 acre purpose built site at Liverpool International Business Park in Speke, will complement Bidfood's already highly successful depot in Manchester.

Bidfood are aiming to have the new facility fully operational and stocked by the end of summer 2019, with a locally based fleet of HGV multi temperature vehicles, bringing in a total of over 200 new job opportunities for the local community.

The new site is another high quality local infrastructure investment, adding incremental capacity that will help Bidfood meet growing demand for multi temperature deliveries from both existing and new customers in the North West of England and North Wales, including:- Liverpool, Warrington, Chester, Crewe and Llandudno.

The site will incorporate technology to enhance service efficiency such as integrated warehouse voice picking systems, and will be fully accredited to ISO14001 environmental standards.

Norman Wemyss, Chief Operating Officer at Bidfood said:- "This distribution facility further signals our continued commitment to delivering local service excellence. Our ethos is to deliver great food, product innovation and excellent service to all of our customers, and importantly to support the communities in which we operate. By delivering from depots that are closer to our customers, we are much better placed to achieve this. The addition of another significant purpose built site in the region will enable an even more flexible and efficient service to our customers, and will certainly help to reduce road miles and carbon emissions."

The new depot in Liverpool will follow on from another new build site opening in Worthing on the South Coast this summer, as well as an acquired site at Penrith which opened its doors to serve Cumbria and the Lake District earlier this year.

Speaking about the various investments across their estate, Norman continued:- "Bidfood is absolutely committed to, and excited about, its ongoing programme of investment within its nationwide infrastructure, and to providing excellent service to its fast growing customer base."

Bidfood has opened 5 new multi temperature sites across the UK in the last 5 years, as part of its aim to offer a truly local service.

Local NHS Trust wins national award for stress management programme

THE Occupational Health Department at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has won the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA), Vivup award for wellbeing.

The award was for delivering a successful workplace cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exercise based stress management programme.

The focus of the programme was on staff engagement, valuing their contribution and recognising the difficulties in which they work.

Results showed reduced levels of staff stress, anxiety and depression post intervention and this translated to savings in sickness absence of ₤48,113.

All of which was within 6 months.

The pilot study was undertaken at the Trust in 2017 to see whether a workplace stress management programme might result in reduced absence.

A key aspect of the programme was to acknowledging the participant's individual work based issues, and then to develop skills that would enable them to cope with their current situation by building resilience.

Stress in the NHS is a significant problem, and is estimated to cause 30% of total sickness absence, costing the NHS ₤300 million to ₤400 million a year, which is why it needs to be addressed.

The Occupational Health Department at the Trust also have another reason to celebrate, as the service was granted full SEQOHS accreditation for a further 5 years. Safe, Effective, Quality, Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS), is a set of standards and accreditation scheme for occupational health services in the UK.

Judges of the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA), commented:- "This is a ground breaking and exciting initiative that provides a shining example of reducing stress in the workplace and reducing absence.'

Participant feedback after each stress management session was also very positive:-

► "I feel I am more in control."

► "I have fewer negative thoughts as I am able to notice my triggers and not react."

► "I recognise that it's not me but the situation, and so I am more able to address this emotionally and curb my reactions."

Phil Waterworth, Occupational Health and Wellbeing Manager at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:- "We're delighted and incredibly proud to have won this award and to get this recognition. Stress within the NHS is unlikely to be resolved given the increasing demands on the service. A combination of financial pressures, finite resources and asking staff to do more for less, is creating an environment conducive to stress. However we are really encouraged by the results of this programme, which is changing the way individuals think about their work and is boosting their resilience."

For any other enquiries on the stress-management programme, contact the Occupational Health Department at the Trust:- OCCHealth@NWBH.NHS.UK.