Prospect House was built in 1795 by Hugh Cholmondeley as a new home for Malpas Grammar School, which was founded in the 16th century. The house takes its name from a roof platform from which the surrounding ‘prospect’ could be viewed. Prior to becoming a nursing home, it operated as a doctor’s surgery for much of the 20th century.
Delivering Modern Facilities in a Historic Setting
Prospect House was built in 1795 by Hugh Cholmondeley as a new home for Malpas Grammar School, which was founded in the 16th century. The house takes its name from a roof platform from which the surrounding ‘prospect’ could be viewed. Prior to becoming a nursing home, it operated as a doctor’s surgery for much of the 20th century.
Prospect House is committed to excellence in nursing care and extends this approach across all aspects of its operation. With 56 rooms, the home is registered to care for up to 60 people. In 2018, Prospect House was awarded the coveted Platinum status by the Gold Standards Framework for Care Homes.
KCM Catering Equipment was initially contacted by Northstar Projects to provide specialist design input for the catering areas within the premises. Working alongside the teams from Prospect House and Northstar, KCM submitted a design and specification that was incorporated into the overall scheme.
KCM was appointed to complete the refurbishment of the catering facilities by the Principal Contractor for the project, RS Burgess & Sons, with works commencing in June 2019.
Delivering a Complete Kitchen Transformation
The new kitchen was previously a lounge and dining area, so works commenced with a complete strip-out of the space to allow progress with other elements. With a fifteen-day programme of works from initial strip-out through to handover, it was critical that all trades were well coordinated to achieve the required timeframe. Working alongside the Principal Contractor, RS Burgess & Sons, the fit-out of the new kitchen included new flooring, a suspended ceiling, hygienic wall cladding and new water, waste and electrical services and lighting throughout.
In addition, a new kitchen ventilation system was installed over the cookline, serving two existing Rational combination ovens, a Lincat fryer and a new Lincat Opus 800 induction hob. By moving to induction, the kitchen not only reduced energy consumption but also improved productivity compared to the previous gas hob. Service was further enhanced with the inclusion of a Lincat Panther mobile hot cupboard, ensuring food is stored and delivered to residents in optimum condition. A new Williams Refrigeration walk-in chiller was integrated into a corner of the kitchen, significantly increasing refrigerated storage capacity while making effective use of an awkward area; this was supported by a reach-in freezer from Hoshizaki. Bespoke fabrication from Bridge Catering Fabrications was fitted throughout to maximise use of the available space.
Dealing with Waste
One of the key considerations during the design process was providing the Prospect House catering team with an efficient waste and wash-up area. KCM worked with waste specialists IMC to incorporate the WasteStation, enabling the care home to significantly improve efficiency in terms of staff time and waste collection costs, while also ensuring compliance with emerging legislation restricting the discharge of food waste to the mains waste system.
The Meiko dishwasher also plays a key role in the operation, incorporating thermal disinfection to the Ao30 standard and supporting the safety of residents, visitors and staff.
The works at Prospect House Care Home were a great success, providing a new kitchen from start to finish in just fifteen days on site. Central to this was a good planning, a strict program of works alongside close teamwork with the Principal Contractor and client.
The premises was occupied throughout the works adding an additional layer of complexity. The care home now has a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen facility to allow them to continue to serve their residents the very highest standard of dining as part of their all-round excellence.
Alistair White, Director – KCM
The premises was occupied throughout the works adding an additional layer of complexity. The care home now has a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen facility to allow them to continue to serve their residents the very highest standard of dining as part of their all-round excellence.
Alistair White, Director – KCM
