Industry Interview: Iain Robertson, national chair, Hospital Caterers
Earlier this year Iain Robertson took the helm of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) as national chair. Formerly the vice chair, Iain has worked as catering operations manager at Solent NHS Trust for the past five years. He left school at 16 and joined the Army where he trained as a chef. After leaving the Army in 1999, he worked shifts at a hotel before moving to a local hospital as a pot washer. Iain has worked in the NHS ever since in various roles from chef to catering manager and exudes passion for the sector.
What do you think are your biggest challenges as chair of the HCA?
I don’t really see it as big challenges ahead, it is more a continuation of the good work of my predecessors and continuing to build upon that success. We have recently launched a new strategy for the HCA which outlines what we hope to achieve over the coming years. There are several areas of focus – membership, education, partnership and promotion, financial stability and governance. I aim to ensure we deliver the objectives within it.
What major changes have you seen in hospital catering?
Many of the challenges we face have remained throughout my career, such as feeding patients on a budget. Probably the biggest changes have been around the expectation of patients, staff and visitors. People are more conscious about what they eat now and expect a much wider range of choice. We cater for a much broader range of cultural and religious diets now than when I first started in the NHS and there are the legislative changes such allergen laws.
You believe in tasty, wholesome food playing a crucial part in a patient’s recovery, but this is often overlooked or undervalued. How do you intend to change that?
The role of food in recovery is clear – well-nourished patients recover quicker, go home sooner and ultimately cost the NHS less money. We need everyone in the NHS to understand this and that can only happen through collaborative working between caterers, nurses and dietitians. Over the last few years, we have seen more dietitians and nurses becoming members of the HCA and this trend needs to continue.
What are the benefits of membership?
The HCA has in excess of 600 members. This is made up of 15 regional branches across the UK, with each branch holding local meetings, study days and social events. I always say the biggest benefit of membership is the networking opportunities, the contacts that you make both locally and nationally ultimately make you better at your day job as you share examples of best practice. In addition, we hold an annual leadership and development forum – the next one is 1st to 2nd April 2025, at the Hilton Metropole, Birmingham.
How will you make the Association more inclusive and diverse?
Historically the HCA was an organisation for managers and supervisors working in healthcare catering. If you have a passion for hospital food, you should be a part of the HCA regardless of the role you do. If you go into any catering department in any hospital in the country it will be one of the most culturally diverse teams in the hospital and this should reflect in our membership.
Visit www.hospitalcaterers.org/about/membership for more information.
