The Daily van has replaced two smaller vehicles previously operated by the Trust, as it has the capacity and flexibility to do the work of both.
Halesowen-based Bevan Group, who supplied the vehicle, builds insulated and temperature-controlled bodies for rigid commercial vehicles at its factory in Oldbury, in co-operation with leading trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull.
Explaining the need for the vehicle, Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust Transport manager, Stephen Billingham, said: ‘We provide meals for patients and staff at three hospitals and a clinic, and our previous vehicles were running at full capacity.
‘The new truck offers a higher payload allowance and Bevan’s insulated body is significantly larger, as well as being much more adaptable.
‘Each of the bodies on our previous vehicles was split into two, fixed compartments, so we could carry frozen and chilled items at the same time. But the new one has a removable bulkhead, which gives us the flexibility to divide the space or operate at a single temperature.’
The truck is now delivering meals from a central depot, where they are cooked from fresh and then frozen, to Sandwell General Hospital, City Hospital in Birmingham, Rowley Regis Community Hospital, and Leasowes Primary Care Centre, Smethwick – facilities which between them have beds for more than 1,000 patients.