Catering Assistant

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust; Barrow-in-Furness; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Part time

Job summary

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Catering Assistant to join our busy Catering Department at Furness General Hospital in Barrow-in-Furness. The role involves food preparation, plating, patient feeding, and general cleaning in a healthcare setting.

We require enthusiasm and a willingness to work towards Foundation Food Hygiene qualification; NVQ Level 2 in Hospitality/Customer Care is desirable. Training is provided during induction and ongoing support is available.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of a busy food environment.
• Commitment to patient-facing service and safe food handling.
• Willingness to complete training during induction.

Responsibilities

• Food preparation and handling in a hospital setting.
• Support patient feeding at ward level.
• Maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.
• Complete audit forms related to food safety procedures.

Skills

Food hygiene knowledge

Customer service

Teamwork

Manual handling

Education

Foundation Food Hygiene Certificate

NVQ Level 2 Hospitality/Customer Care

Job description

You will be required to undertake a wide range of duties including food preparation, cleaning, and supporting patient feeding at ward level . You should be equipped with excellent customer service skills and preferably have experience within the catering industry . Completion of audit forms associated with food safety, & procedures., The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

We are looking to recruit a Catering Assistant to join our fantastic Catering Department. You will be enthusiastic and will relish being a part of this dynamic team, delivering a high quality service which puts our patients and customers first. You should have working knowledge of a busy food environment and ideally hold your Foundation food hygiene certificate, full training, and support will be given on induction, This role involves working 4.00pm -8.00pm - 5 days over 7 and this role will involve working weekends ( alternative) and every 7th week will be a double weekend.

• Possess or willing to work towards Food Foundation Hygiene Qualification
• Posses or willing to work towards NVQ level 2 Hospitality/Customer Care
• Knowledge of Hazard Analysis Critical Control points (HACCP)
• Knowledge of the potential Cross Contamination in a Health Care setting
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of Manual Handling techniques

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of COSHH /HACCP Regulations
• Previous experience of working a in large Catering Establishment
• Knowledge of Health and Safety, Understanding and having knowledge on Allergens, having an understanding of Allergens

Lancashire and South Cumbria Provider Collaborative (OneLsc)

The five provider NHS trusts in Lancashire and South Cumbria are working together as partners, delivering joint priorities to improve health and healthcare. Together, we aim to drive up quality by sharing skills and best practice, pooling our resources and standardising the way we work to reduce variation and duplication. We want to ensure patients have equal access to the same high-quality care wherever they live. We also want our colleagues to have the same high-quality experience wherever they work. One Lancashire and South Cumbria (One LSC) and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay has a firm commitment to strengthening the diversity of our workforce, and therefore welcome and encourage applications from likeminded people who can support our ambition to become effortlessly inclusive. We are particularly keen to hear from protected groups - including BAME, LGBT+ and people with a disability. We operate from three main hospitals‑Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital and GP Practice, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, and Ulverston Community Health Centre. FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant‑led services. WGH provides a range of General Hospital services, together with an Urgent Treatment Centre, that can help with a range of non‑life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses. All three main hospitals provide a range of planned care including outpatients, diagnostics, therapies, day case and inpatient surgery. In addition, a range of local outreach services and diagnostics are provided from community facilities across Morecambe Bay.

The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first‑class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background. We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under‑representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
• Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short‑listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS) If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained. The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed. The cost for an Enhanced DBS, is £45.90 and for a Basic & Standard, this is £24.90 this cost includes a £4.90 admin fee.