Catering Assistant

Benenden Hospital Trust; Benenden; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 26,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Defined contribution pension (up to 10

Benenden health membership

Life Assurance

Free parking

Subsidised eye tests

Free Flu vaccinations

Free tea and coffee

Subsidised on site Restaurant

Job summary

Benenden Hospital is seeking a Catering Assistant to join our friendly catering team. You will help with preparing and serving food, and provide a warm, welcoming experience for our customers in a busy hospital setting.

We value reliability, teamwork and strong hygiene standards, with flexible hours to support a part-time role. This is a permanent contract with 22.5 hours per week, offering a competitive benefits package including pension and health cover.

Qualifications

• Experience in catering or hospitality helpful but not essential
• Positive, hardworking and willing to learn attitude
• Commitment to high hygiene and safety standards
• Excellent customer service and communication with patients, carers and colleagues

Responsibilities

• Prepare and serve food to a high standard
• Provide friendly, helpful service to customers
• Set up and clear service areas
• Keep kitchen, counters and equipment clean and safe
• Support the wider team during busy service periods
• Support ED&I and neurodiversity with respectful interactions

Skills

Friendly manner

Clear communication

Team player

Hygiene and safety

Reliable and flexible

Verbal and written skills

Ability to work under pressure

Job description

Salary: £24,784.50 per annum (Full time equivalent)

Contract type: Permanent Contract, Part Time (22.5 hours)

Job reference: 3045

Join Our Friendly Catering Team

Are you enthusiastic, reliable, and passionate about great customer service?
Do you enjoy working in a lively, team‑focused environment where no two days are the same?

We’re looking for a Catering Assistant to help us deliver high‑quality, delicious food and a warm, welcoming experience for our customers.

About us

At Benenden Hospital we put patients are at the heart of everything we do. We attract kind, compassionate, and talented people to our ultra-modern private hospital, which has been rated as Outstanding by the CQC. We hold JAG accreditation for Endoscopy and ACSA accreditation for anaesthetics.

Benenden Hospital offers excellent working conditions and facilities. We promote flexible working and a healthy work/life balance. We are committed to professional development and have excellent training and education facilities. We work hard to make sure that everyone at Benenden Hospital feels involved and shares our values and vision for the future.

About the role

As a key part of our catering team, you’ll help with:

• Preparing and serving food to a high standard
• Providing friendly, helpful service to customers
• Setting up and clearing down service areas
• Keeping the kitchen, counters, and equipment clean and safe
• Supporting the wider team during busy service period
• Support Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) and neurodiversity, ensuring respectful and inclusive interactions with patients, carers and colleagues.

Skills and experience required

You’ll be someone who:

• Brings a friendly, approachable manner
• Communicates clearly with customers and colleagues
• Enjoys working as part of a supportive team
• Takes pride in maintaining high hygiene and safety standards
• Is reliable, flexible, and happy to get stuck in
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively and build effective working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
• Demonstrates a commitment to delivering a professional, responsive, and patient‑focused service
• Ability to identify issues, use initiative, and make sound decisions in a fast‑paced environment

Experience in catering or hospitality is helpful but not essential – if you’re positive, hardworking, and willing to learn, we’d love to hear from you!

• Defined contribution pension scheme with employer contribution up to 10%
• Membership to Benenden health which offers a wide range of benefits, discounts and activities
• Excellent Life Assurance benefit
• Free parking
• Subsidised eye tests
• Free Flu vaccinations
• Free tea and coffee
• Subsidised on site Restaurant

“I love working at Benenden Hospital, it’s a beautiful location in the countryside”, “the whole organisation is supportive”, “it’s the team, the team are amazing”, “Benenden is a bit like a family”, “the whole atmosphere is brilliant”

These are just some of the reasons why more than 400 people work at Benenden Hospital which has a long history of caring since it was founded in 1907.

Together, we work hard to maintain a safe, comfortable, patient-focused environment for the people in our care.
All our vacancies are therefore subject to either a Standard or an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service as well as satisfactory reference checks. These procedures need to be completed before all new member of staff can join the hospital.

Full right to work in the UK is required as we do not offer sponsorship as an organisation

We’re committed to providing good quality, compassionate care. Everyone who works with us plays an important role in supporting this, whether patient‑facing or not, and we value the experience, behaviours, and perspectives our people bring.

We’re an inclusive employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and walks of life. This includes people with disabilities, people from all gender identities, individuals from all ethnic backgrounds, and those who are neurodivergent.

We actively encourage applications from groups that may be under‑represented within our workforce.

We want to understand why you want to work in a hospital environment and how your knowledge, skills, qualifications, and experience align with the role you’re applying for, and how they support a caring and respectful culture. These qualities are best shown through your own experience rather than AI‑generated content. While AI tools may be used for general support, we ask that applications are written in your own words and reflect your true abilities and values.

Taking the time to complete your application carefully and honestly helps us understand your suitability for the role and ensures a fair, open, and values‑based recruitment process.