Ward Catering Assistant
Posted 4 days 7 hours ago by Merseywestlancs
Main area None Grade NHS AfC: Band 2 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (30 hours - Will include weekends and bank holidays) Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
30 hours per week (Working on a roster 3 days out of 7) Job ref 268
Site Southport Hospital Town Merseyside Salary £25,272 Per Annum, Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 16/06/:59 Interview date 24/06/2026
Job overviewAn exciting opportunity has arisen for a Ward Catering Assistant to join our Team
Hours Available are - 1 x 30 hours 12 month fixed term contract
The ideal candidate will have a Can do attitude flexible and will be a team player who has experience working in a busy kitchen environment.
The ideal candidate should have good customer care skills and experience of working in a kitchen/coffee shop/restaurant.
Food Safety level 2 certificate would be an advantage.
Candidates will be required to cover annual leave and absences if required to maintain a high standard of service.
Main duties of the jobAs a Ward Catering Assistant, you will assist our ward teams improve patients experience whilst they are in hospital, supporting the front-line delivery of inpatient meal service to maintain standards for nutrition and hydration, reducing food waste and maximising efficiency.
You will be expected to provide a professional patient focused meal service ensuring hygiene and patient safety standards are maintained.
In addition, the Trust are committed to provide a excellent, essential patient care, supporting patients to receive optimal levels of nutritional and hydration during their episode of care by providing the right food for the right patient at the right time at each meal service.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities- Maintain all operational procedures
- Enforce compliance with Waste Management Policy to meet the changing requirements as segregation requirements increase
- To comply with Hygiene and Food Safety Legislation
- Ensure compliance with Facilities Management standards
- Ensure compliance with HACCP
- Ensure effective delivery of services to service users and customers
- Maintain and improve all aspects of the service
- Participate in staff involvement groups for all aspects of the Trust Quality Strategy 2012/15
- Observe legal requirements
- Responsible for the safe use of all equipment
- Ensure compliance and operational observance of safe working practices as detailed in all aspects of risk management
- Ensure all appropriate hygiene monitoring is carried out and recorded for every process
- Ensure compliance with national standards of cleanliness
- To attend training courses as required and participate in annual refresher sessions in accordance with own Personal Development Review
- Provide guidance and a knowledge base for new and existing staff
- To ensure economical use of all Trust resources
- Maintain and monitor stock levels to meet the demands of the service
- Distribute and maintain economic and effective use of chemicals and products
- Monitor and record food wastage
- Food Safety Level 2
- Basic Numeracy
- Basic Computer Skills
- HACCP Training
- ECDL or equivalent
- NHS Experience
- Customer Care Skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Provision of a patient/customer focussed service
- Principles of Risk Management
- Communication
- Ability to instruct other less qualified staff or students
- Cash handling abilities/use of cash registers
- Physically demanding role
- Pushing and pulling trolleys/cages
- Varied deadlines and adhoc pressures
- Dealing with staff/customer issuesExposure to temperature variations
- Professional and hygiene awareness/appearance
- Varied shifts
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
Veteran Guarantee, we commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Flexible WorkingWe actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
- All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
- There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
- Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.