Cook Chill To Cook Fresh Pays Satisfaction Dividends For Warrawee Community Aged Care

Warrawee Community Aged Care facility is a 90 bed low care facility with an average RCS of 3.8. It is facility that is owned and operated by Glen Eira City Council in Melbourne's south eastern suburbs.

Approximately two years ago a review of food services was undertaken with a view to improving resident satisfaction. This review culminated in a strategic decision to change the method of food preparation from a cook chill system to one based on freshly prepared meals on a seven day per week basis. Another key decision was to appoint a chef manager with responsibility for providing enhanced coordination of the food service, quality monitoring and quality improvement. Improvement strategies were discussed and considered and the following strategies were considered important to the success of the project:

• The Chef Manager was given responsibility for driving an extensive review of the menus in conjunction with residents and staff. This resulted in a much wider choice being provided to menus along with fluctuating seasonal menus.
• Taste and try sessions were introduced with a resident representative group and this group was also expanded to include residents from other facilities in the Glen Eira network of facilities. The taste and try sessions are now regarded as an important and very social occasion enjoyed by all who participate.
• Focus discussion groups were established with staff and feedback both written and verbal encouraged.

• The staff skill mix was enhanced by the employment of qualified chefs across all food preparation shifts. Having chefs that could monitor and influence meal taste and presentation on a daily basis was an important step towards meeting the changing expectations of both the facility and the residents. This change in skill mix is still seen as being a critical factor for meeting the vision for the food service.
• Equipment within the kitchen had to be changed and upgraded. Out went the cook chill equipment such as the 500 litre kettle and in came flexible and efficient combi ovens to enhance the capacity for fresh production.

Once the new system was settled the food service has built on initial success by:

• The Chef Manager regularly visits residents in the house dining room.
• The Chef Manager personally cooks "front of house" for special events such as BBQ's. These events have resulted in a high level of positive feedback.

There has been a significant improvement in the level of pride that dining room staff take in the presentation of meals and their overall level of interaction with residents. The overall outcome has been transformation of dining times from a merely a nutritional event to one that is much more social.

Although not specifically benchmarked overall food service costs were extracted as part of the review for this article. The costs of the service indicate that the service operates at a level similar to other aged care facilities.

It should be noted that improvement in food services has been just one factor that has contributed to overall improvement in resident satisfaction over the past three years.