Catering Assistant

NHS; Fareham; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Catering Assistant to join their team at Ravenswood House. The role focuses on food preparation and daily kitchen operations, ensuring high standards of hygiene and service delivery. Full training will be provided along with opportunities for career development and NVQ qualification. Competitive salary and benefits included.

Benefits

Generous annual leave package starting at 27 days plus bank holidays

Highly competitive pension scheme

Opportunities for flexible working

Site bonuses for weekend and overtime work

Qualifications

• Experience in large kitchen environments and understanding of food safety.
• Knowledge of special diets and COSHH regulations.
• Self-motivated and adaptable to changes.

Responsibilities

• Prepare food as directed by the duty chef.
• Maintain cleanliness in the kitchen and ensure hygiene standards.
• Assist with food service during mealtimes and follow due diligence processes.

Skills

Flexibility

Teamwork

Hygiene Awareness

Education

Basic food hygiene certificate

City & Guilds 706/2

NVQ level 2 in food preparation

Job description

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Catering Assistant

The closing date is 22 June 2025

We are currently seeking a Catering Assistant to join our team at Ravenswood House to provide food services to our clients and assist with daily kitchen operations.

The role involves preparing fresh sandwiches, salads, and vegetables, as well as maintaining cleanliness in the catering area in accordance with our hygiene systems and standards.

The main catering provision is offered as a counter service, with some meals served to the wards.

While previous kitchen experience is preferred, full training will be provided. There is also the opportunity to pursue an NVQ Level 2 qualification.

The position is for 37.5 hours per week, across 5 out of 7 days, including early and late shifts, as well as weekends. Additional payments are offered for weekend and overtime work, along with a site bonus due to the nature of the site.

You will be part of a small team managed by the duty chef. There may be occasions where you are asked to work alone.

We are looking for someone who is patient-focused and adaptable, with a commitment to maintaining the high levels of service we expect for our clients.

We offer a generous annual leave package starting at 27 days plus bank holidays, which increases with length of service. We also provide a highly competitive pension scheme for all employees.

There may also be opportunities to work at our other locations from time to time.

Main duties of the job

Help prepare food as directed by the duty chef.

Assist with the regeneration of those food items requiring this and in accordance with our food safety policy.

Maintain the washing up area in a clear and clean state throughout the day and ensuring the proper storage of this.

Help with the counter food service during the mealtimes observing all required food hygiene processes.

Help the chef as required to complete the food order.

Work to correct standards of cleanliness and hygiene adhering to standards in simply safe toolkit (SSTK - our safe food management system) guidelines ensuring principals of hazard analysis are followed.

Be aware of all the kitchen due diligence processes including recording systems for deliveries, fridges and freezers and food items.

To ensure as part of the team that recordings of fridge and freezer, hot food and blast chilling temperatures are taken and put onto SSTK forms on a daily basis and kept on file for 3 months.

Have an understanding of the labelling system being used and understand how to correctly package and label foods to be stored.

Under the supervision of the chef complete the daily, weekly and monthly task outlined on the cleaning schedule.

Assist catering team with management of waste and food costs by highlighting any areas you feel savings could be made in.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Basic food hygiene certificate or equivalent experience
• City & Guilds 706/2 or equivalent
• NVQ level 2 in food preparation

Experience

• Being flexible and adaptable at work in order to meet competing priorities
• Ability to work as part of a close knit team
• Literate and numerate in English
• Must understand COSHH regulations
• An understanding of equality within the workforce and how it can impact on this post
• Satisfactory occupational health check
• Working in large kitchen environments
• Knowledge of special diets
• Experience of working in a constantly changing environment
• Self-motivated
• Understanding of infection control procedures and health and safety
• Understanding of personal health and safety responsibilities
• Knowledge of data protection/confidentiality

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 to £26,598 a yearbased on full time hours