News / 01.09.2022

Meet The Man On a Mission To Enrich The Private Healthcare Dining Experience

From jet-setting epicureans at Harrods to the well-heeled melomaniacs at the majestic Glyndebourne Opera House, Julian Wilson is a Chef who knows just what it takes to impress those who appreciate the finer things in the food world.

A decorated career spanning over two decades has seen this talented Executive Chef lead the development of food services across fleets of private jets, deliver executive hospitality experiences in the premier league and lead menu development for some of the restaurant trade’s most highly respected names.

So, what’s left to challenge the man who’s seemingly seen and done it all?

Fortunately for patients of one of the country’s most prestigious Healthcare providers, Julian has already begun laying the groundwork for his ambitious plans to revolutionise the dining experience in the Private Healthcare Sector…

“If anything, the food should exceed their expectations…”

Almost three months into the role, Julian is unflinching when describing what inspired him to tackle one of most complex food services sectors:

“Not many people wake up wanting to be an inpatient. That’s why it’s so important that everything they experience is designed to put them at ease, and make them feel comfortable, safe and looked after.

When patients entrust their welfare to a private healthcare provider, it’s because they want the absolute best. The best nurses, doctors, facilities, treatments… why should dining take a supporting role?

When I joined Compass Healthcare, I knew the depth of resources I’d have at my disposal to bring about the level of change I’d envisioned. Our Culinary Director, Bruce Toon, has already built an extraordinary food culture throughout the Healthcare business, which really helped me get off to a running start.

Combine that with endorsements from the likes of Marcus Wareing and you know that you’re on to something special...”

And he’s not wrong.

In August 2021, Compass launched ‘Forward with Marcus Wareing,’ an enhanced development programme to run alongside the Level 4 Senior Culinary Chef and Level 5 Operations Departmental Manager apprenticeship standards.

“I am delighted to have developed ‘Forward with Marcus Wareing’ in partnership with Compass Group UK & Ireland and HIT Training. ‘Forward’ is a new cutting-edge culinary training programme designed to build skills, grow knowledge and expand imagination, so candidates can take their career to truly exceptional places!”

Marcus Wareing, Michelin star Chef, Author and TV Personality

Julian is a keen supporter of the programme, and with two members of the Healthcare team already featuring within the 2021 cohort, he intends to introduce even more of his culinary team to the 2022 programme:

“To bring about change, you’ve got to start with your people.

Programmes like this act to inspire your team to reach for greatness. Opportunities to accomplish an aspirational career through Compass are endless and the possibilities to work alongside greats like Marcus are incredibly rare, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

We recently launched “The Career Pathways” programme, which is perhaps the most comprehensive internal training and development scheme I’ve ever seen.

The business is creating opportunities for individuals to pursue personal goals regardless of their experience, by laying out a clear roadmap of structured academic and practical training milestones designed to support them on their journey.

Catering Assistants can become Chefs, Unit Managers can become Business Development Professionals! A highly motivated team is high performing team – that’s why Compass Group training and development is so important to maintain the highest standards in our sector.”

Tech-forward Thinking…

Aside from promoting a wealth of exclusive development opportunities, Julian champions a culture that embraces innovation and technology, and has lofty plans to introduce the very latest software into his units…

“It’s fair to say that our have been pretty busy over the past 12 months.

They’ve launched frictionless technology and brand new customer applications to the wider hospitality sector, and you can be sure I’ll be dipping into that tech kitbag at will!

Let’s not forget that the dining experience goes far beyond what’s on a patient’s plate.

It’s important to offer patients and staff access to the latest POS technology, pre-order applications, digital carbon, dietetic and allergen information… I could go on; it all plays a part.

Then there’s the tech-stack behind the scenes: digital auditing for food safety and quality checks, order management systems, digital recipe guides – we’ve come a long way since the days of dusty cookbooks and excel spreadsheets.

If we can be more efficient back of house, we can focus more time and attention on delivering outstanding food and service for our patients.”

Championing Outstanding Healthcare

But what about the immense pressure of lifting the standards at an organisation that features more ‘CQC Outstanding’ ratings than any other private healthcare in the United Kingdom?

According to Julian, he’s not at all phased by the challenge at hand:

“When a business reaches out to a specialist like Compass Healthcare, they’re doing it because they know it’s what we do best.

All I can ask for is the continued support of the business to provide the resources we need to deliver a transformative experience. Having already spent a few months in the role, it’s clear that the they’re fully behind my vision.

We’re fortunate to have a whole department dedicated to business excellence led by Kate Barnes, giving us access to some of the industry’s finest subject matter experts. We’ve got Registered Nutritionists, Dieticians, Tech, HSE and compliance experts, all dedicated to raising standards across the portfolio.

My main focus is to develop the food offer and enhance the skillset of our Chef brigade. Having the peace of mind to know that I’ve got the best of the best supporting our efforts on other crucial elements of the service affords me more time to do just that.

Take Carbon Labelling as an example. Sustainability is rightly high on most companies’ agendas, and it won’t be long before this all becomes mandatory.

Compass Group are already ahead of the curve, and soon we’ll be in a position to provide eco-labelling for our food offer, highlighting which meals have a higher (E) or lower (A) environmental impact. This will help patients to make conscientious choices based on their attitude toward climate change.

We’ve already completed a successful trial of the initiative in partnership with the Livestock, Environment and People labelling (LEAP) group at the University of Oxford.”

So, what can Patients expect from the Compass Healthcare Dining Experience?

With a decorated background in fine dining, It’s clear that Julian is a Chef with big goals in mind:

“For starters, nothing less than they would experience at any well-respected restaurant! Why not?

We’ve got the facilities, the talent, the support, resources and ambition, so what’s stopping us?

Our work can make a huge impact on the private healthcare sector, from fuelling the staff and specialists responsible for providing world-class care, to lifting the spirits of patients across the portfolio.

I’m not sure if commercial dining services can qualify for Michelin Rosettes and Stars, but we can certainly shoot for the same standards. Just watch this space…”

Bruce Toon, Culinary Director across the Compass Group Healthcare Division, was equally as upbeat on the momentum building in the private healthcare sector:

“Julian has already shown himself to be wonderful addition to the healthcare team, not just owing to his ambition, but also his experience, leadership and culinary skills. We’re focusing a great deal of time and effort developing our talent pool in the private healthcare sector, which can only mean good things for our customer, clients and employees. It’s an exciting time to be part of the revolution!”

 

Compass Healthcare is the UK’s leading provider of food, hospitality and support services in Acute Hospitals, Private Healthcare and Senior Care markets. To learn more about the important work we do get in touch with one of our specialists by contacting: healthcaresales@compass-group.co.uk