Company to investigate extra ways to support care sector during 2021
Rational has confirmed its commitment to the care homes sector by renewing its membership of the National Association of Care Catering, as a Premier Partner. Citing the ‘incredible’ work that care home staff have done during the pandemic, Rational’s sales director Sandy Thomassen said, “We are proud to be associated with the NACC and we are looking into ways that we can provide extra support to the care home sector during this difficult time.”
The company believes multifunctional cooking systems such as its latest products, the iCombi Pro and the iVario Pro, can deliver significant benefits to the sector by making it easier to prepare a wide range of dishes, covering different dietary requirements, in a compact working footprint. With Rational appliances, the built-in cooking intelligence, automated processes and intuitive touchscreen controls make them very simple to operate, so even less skilled staff can prepare meals to a very high quality.
“Because of their speed and the fact that there’s no need to monitor the cooking, the iCombi Pro and iVario Pro save a lot of staff time – meaning fewer staff can produce more food,” says Thomassen, who leads Rational UK’s care home sector team. “That can help with staff safety and social distancing, as well as potentially reducing labour costs.”
To help care caterers understand these advanced multifunctional cooking systems, Rational is developing a programme of Live online sessions specifically for care homes. They’ll allow care caterers to experience the iCombi Pro and iVario Pro virtually, with experts live online to answer questions. They’ll cover specific menu items typically found in the care sector, including dysphagia recipes, and will be launched early in 2021. In addition, the company is producing guides to show how care homes can integrate multifunctional appliances into their kitchen operation.
“We are delighted that Rational has agreed to continue as a premier partner,” says Sue Cawthray, chair of the NACC. “They have been a long term supporter of the association – in fact, they first became a partner back in 2013. Over the years they have been very involved in our events, interacting with members, which is always very welcome.”