Full programme for NACC forum released

The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has released the full programme for its 2022 Training and Development Forum.

The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has confirmed its programme for its Training and Development Forum 2022.

The event will return to the East Midlands Conference Centre, in Nottingham, from 5 to 7 October. The tailored and unique training event has been designed to give professionals providing catering and related services within the care industry information and practical techniques to support and develop their care establishments and services.

Attendees will be inspired, informed, updated and connected with two days of keynote speakers, training workshops, live cookery demonstrations, meet-the-buyer meetings, supplier exhibition and networking. Relevant topics to be discussed include the social care policy landscape, reducing food waste and costs, mental health, allergens and labelling, recruitment and retention, social media, menu enhancement and more.

This year, the NACC Friday Morning Kitchen is back by popular demand. Described as the NACC’s take on ‘Ready Steady Cook’ vs ‘Saturday Morning Kitchen’, two expert industry chefs, Louise Wagstaffe, director of Delicious by Design, and Colin Wheeler-James, culinary director of Ground Up Cookery School and European Development Chef IMCD, will discuss and demonstrate two hugely important areas of focus – plant-based and gluten-free recipes. Masterfully presented by renowned food and drink broadcaster, Nigel Barden, the session will be both informative and entertaining.

The NACC Training and Development Forum will also bring the NACC Care Chef of the Year competition and the NACC Awards to their grand finales, as the winners for both prestigious events are revealed.

Sue Cawthray, national chair of the NACC, says: “I am very much looking forward to returning to Nottingham in October to meet with fellow care catering professionals and suppliers and support each other in what continues to be very challenging times. On top of the traditional challenges of care catering, the impacts of Covid-19 are still being felt, there are industry-wide staff shortages, ongoing supply chain issues and rapidly increasing costs, all against a backdrop of an ever-increasing older population that deserves to receive the best care possible. The need for care caterers to be informed, innovative and agile remains and our programme has been designed to support this.

“The event is an opportunity for people to come together, share knowledge and learning, and benefit from the experiences of like-minded people. It is also a cause for celebration as we recognise excellence through the crowning of the NACC Care Chef of the Year and the highly anticipated NACC Awards 2022. I urge everyone working in or associated with care catering to come along and learn from our excellent speakers, presenters and culinary experts, and of course, from each other, whilst also having some fun. I truly believe that we are stronger together and this collaboration will give us the tools and energy to continue to overcome ongoing challenges.”

Relevant programme

The expert keynote speakers set to inform and inspire include:

  • Baroness Barker: The NACC’s patron will update members on the good work she is championing on behalf of the association to facilitate change.
  • Liz Jones, policy director, National Care Forum – The Social Care Policy Landscape – Is the Future Smooth or Bumpy? Liz will explore where we are now with the social care policy landscape, given the government’s reform plans and what they may mean for the sector.
  • Amanda Marques, director, Cohesion Recruitment – Step into Care Campaign employee of the future: Amanda will look at designing and delivering bespoke attraction, engagement, selection and assessment solutions for care providers, housing associations and the NHS.
  • Kath Dalmeny, chief executive, Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming – Home From Hospital: Access to Food at Hospital Discharge and Beyond: Kath will give an overview and perspective on the partnership working of all public sector caterers and how this is impacting the government agenda. She will also discuss the new paper released in March 2022, Home From Hospital: Access to Food at Hospital Discharge and Beyond, to explore its impact.
  • Brian Daniels, Pluto Play Productions – Fighting For Life: This moving yet educational play, inspired by a true story, is based on the struggles of the Findlay family in accessing health and social care. Their struggles to get the right care for both their elderly parents along with recommendations about how things could have been better handled are documented in The Findlay Report, written and produced by the Findlay family. A panel discussion with audience Q&A will follow the performance.


Baroness Barker

Certified workshops

  • Managing Mental Health: Kris Hall, chief executive and founder, The Burnt Chef Project. Learn how to recognise the signs of stress and potential signs of distress and coping mechanisms through mental health hygiene.
  • Social Media for Care Chefs – Why Engaging with your Audience and Key Stakeholders is a ‘Win Win’ Situation for Everyone: Karen Fewell, director, Digital Blonde. Discover the benefits of using social media for business and gain the confidence to get stuck in. Karen will look at the psychology behind successful social media and share her advice for success.
  • Recognise, Report and Review Near Miss Allergen Incidents: Jacqui McPeake, director, JACS Ltd, award-winning food allergen specialist. Investigate ways to ensure that the food supplied is correctly described and allergens highlighted, and why it’s so important to recognise, report and review near miss incidents.
  • How To Navigate The Latest Legislation From CQC: Anna-Maria Lemmer, senior associate solicitor, Ridouts. Get the latest update on the legal and operational areas that could negatively impact a care business and what care catering professionals need to know.
  • Nutrient Dense Food is for Care Home Residents – It’s not all about adding butter and cream: Alison Smith, prescribing support consultant dietitian/Integrated Care System lead prescribing support dietitianNHS - Pharmacy & Medicines Optimisation and Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board. A food-based approach to managing malnutrition needs to be nutrient dense (providing a range of nutrients and not just or mainly extra calories). In this workshop, Alison will show how to think differently about some of the foods provided and how to add more nutrition to them.      

Live cookery demonstrations

  • Essential Dysphagia Comfort Food: Robin Dudley, business development chef, and Gary Kilminster, business development manager, Essential Cuisine
  • Reducing Food Waste and Food Costs: Jamie Clews, key account manager, Robot Coupe
  • Winning Recipes Behind Care Chef of the Year 2021: Aaron Watson, Care Chef of the Year 2021, Primrose Bank Care Home and Alex Hall, executive chef UK and Ireland, Unilever
  • Premier Foods – Fortification in Food: Louise Wagstaffe, culinary advisor, Premier Foods

Supplier support

Innovative suppliers and strong, supportive relationships are essential to the care catering sector.  Attendees will have the opportunity to meet suppliers one-to-one and learn about the best options for their business during the ‘Meet the buyer’ session. In addition, they can explore the supplier exhibition, running alongside the forum, where practical solutions, new ideas and innovations, and delicious produce and dishes will be on show ready to taste and test.


The winners of the NACC Awards will be announced at the forum

NACC Awards 2022

The prestigious NACC Awards 2022 recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation, dedication and outstanding contributions within the care catering sector. This year’s winners will be announced and celebrated at the gala dinner and awards on the evening of Thursday 6 October, in front of NACC members and industry colleagues, partners and guests.

NACC Care Chef of the Year 2022

The winners of the esteemed NACC Care Chef of the Year competition will also be announced and celebrated as part of the gala dinner and awards evening on Thursday 6 October. The NACC Care Chef of the Year culinary competition showcases the incredible talent, skill and knowledge of chefs working within the care sector.

For further information and to book a place at the NACC Training and Development Forum 2022 visit https://bit.ly/tdf2022


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