It’s official! The new restaurant at the Ulster Hospital in the Acute Services Block will be called “Café Connect”. The name was chosen after a staff competition was launched using the staff app “SET Connect” to find a name which captures the Trust’s desire for everyone to connect, communicate and feel they belong to South Eastern Trust family.
The state of the art restaurant was opened by the Health Minister in November 2021. This prompted the need for a new and inclusive corporate brand to link all of the Trust’s restaurants across all of their major hospital sites.
‘Working Together’ is a strong value that the Trust upholds, so it was very important to give all staff the opportunity to participate in this major change. Staff were invited to participate by getting their thinking caps on and submitting up to three names that they felt would be fitting for the new restaurant. As ever staff rose to the challenge with gusto and the entries came pouring in. Staff member Gail Young, Gastroenterology Research Nurse was the lucky winner who came up with the name, ‘Café Connect’, which links in with the name of the staff app, harnesses the ethos of belonging, which is a major part of the Trust’s People Plan and embodies the main reason why staff choose to eat in the new restaurant facilities; to take a well-deserved break from their busy work routine to dine with their colleagues and chat over a cuppa. Gail met with senior Patient Experience staff and Chairman Jonathan Patton in the new restaurant recently to discuss her win and receive her prize, a brand new iPad!
Gail said, “I was absolutely delighted to hear I had won the competition! I submitted the suggestion and did not really expect to hear anything back. After deliberating over a few ideas, I finally submitted ‘Café Connect’ as I felt that the idea of connecting was in keeping with the Trusts values and the more recent theme that the Chief Executive has set, ‘keeping people in the loop’. As a research nurse, our team is spread out across the hospital site, so there’s no better way to catch up than over a coffee or bite to eat. As for most teams, since the pandemic, it has been difficult to meet face to face so we look forward to meeting in the new ‘Café Connect’. I see the opening of the new café as not only a new start, but also a celebration of the dedication of all the restaurant staff that supported Trust staff during very difficult times.”
Jeff Thompson, Assistant Director Patient Experience said, “The Patient Experience Team are delighted with the new corporate brand which will now be used across all our major catering facilities. Eating together builds relationships and connections; it provides an opportunity to strengthen ties and is known to be beneficial for our mental and emotional health. The name Café Connect sums up the desire for our restaurants to be the perfect recipe for food, friendship, conversation and camaraderie. We look forward to you meeting and connecting with your friends and colleagues in our restaurants and enjoy a healthy, nutritionally balanced meal together.”
Jonathan Patton, Chairman, South Eastern HSC Trust explained, “Staff participation was fundamental in continuing the engagement and communication culture we treasure here at the South Eastern HSC Trust. There was one very clear winning entry for me in ‘Café Connect’. From my personal experience here at the Trust, connecting with each other is incredibly important as we find support and strength in each other and spending time connecting with friends and colleagues rejuvenates us for the tasks ahead. My personal thanks and congratulations go to Gail for the insightful choice of Café Connect. I hope staff get the opportunity to visit and experience the fabulous new facility.”