Iain Robertson, Catering Operations Manager (Solent)
Iain has worked in the NHS for a large chunk of his career and brings with him some valuable expertise and experience. Iain has been telling us about his role and his input will be important in developing the catering facilities at the new rehabilitation unit to ensure we can deliver high quality meals to our patients and visitors.
What does your role entail?
As Catering Operations Manager, I essentially oversee all things catering for the entire Trust. This means that anything related to catering across all sites comes through me.
With regards the new rehab unit, my involvement so far has been limited, but I am sure this will change as the project progresses. Mark Maffey came to me right at the start of the project to show me the plans and ask what we required among all the ideas. Together, we visited Royal South Hants because they had a similar sized setup and usage to what I thought would suit us well. I pointed out the parts that would work and the ones that wouldn’t and he took it all on board! He’s great – incredibly engaged with all stakeholders and genuinely wants to listen to what users need.
Tell us about your career and what led you to where you are now?
Well, that’s quite a story, isn’t it? I’ll condense it right down. In a nutshell, I’ve been in the NHS for 25 years… And I was only supposed to be there for one week!
I’m a chef by trade, but I reached the point where I couldn’t handle the night shifts, weekends and split shifts anymore. I moved to Bournemouth and registered with an agency who offered me a one-week shift at a hospital with straight shifts. It seemed like a good opportunity, so I went for it. During that week, I was offered a full-time permanent position. You probably know where this is going – I took it, and the rest is history.
In that time, I’ve worked as Head Chef, Kitchen Manager and other roles in between. It’s one of the great things about working for the NHS – if you’re open to them, opportunities will come your way. I guess it’s the same with everything in life – I do find that you just need to go for these things.
Around four years ago, I went for the role of Catering Services Manager, which is where I am now.
What are the biggest challenges of your role?
Right now, it’s food inflation. The cost of the food we buy has gone up by 19%, but our budgets haven’t changed. We have to be very resourceful and make the most out of less. This is, unsurprisingly, quite difficult at times.
Long-term, our challenge is to manage expectations. Food is a very emotional thing, and sometimes expectations don’t match what we are able to offer within our budget and the constraints that come with it. No matter what, we always strive to deliver the same level of service, whatever the financial situation.
What is your favourite part of the role?
It’s going to sound corny, but it’s when we get positive feedback. We regularly ask staff and patients for feedback, as it helps us develop and evolve our service. I love it when we receive a piece of feedback saying that someone had come into hospital and was expecting sub standard food, and we really surprised them with the quality that we delivered. It’s great for morale and motivation, and I always share this type of feedback with the wider time. I love changing people’s perceptions in that way.
Are you going on holiday anywhere this year?
Sadly, no! We’re knee deep in house renovations so no more holidays this year – although, saying that, I did go snowboarding with my son in February and my wife has just come home from a trip to Spain, so we can’t complain too much! I think we’ll spend the rest of the year on trips out here and there. We’re going to Camp Bestival soon, something we try to do most years as a family. We’re really looking forward to it!