Catering Assistant

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Catering Assistant to join the busy main kitchen, handling plate assembly, service to patients and staff, and meal distribution across wards. You will support dishwashing, clearing trolleys and maintaining high hygiene standards in a fast-paced environment.

The role requires basic reading/writing, a willingness to learn Food Hygiene training within 12 weeks, and adherence to food safety policies including HACCP and Natasha's Law.

Qualifications

• Experience in catering and ability to work in a busy kitchen.
• Willing to complete Food Hygiene training within first 12 weeks of employment.
• Willing to obtain Level 2 Food Hygiene certification if not already held.

Responsibilities

• Serving meals for patients or staff and other customers as required.
• Compliance with Catering Department Services and Hygiene & Quality Standards.
• Attractive presentation of all food items served.
• Correct and consistent portion control.
• Meet the physical tempo of work and service deadlines.
• Assist in basic preparation and portioning of foods including salads, sandwiches, fruits and snacks.
• Record times and temperatures of foods as required (HACCP).
• Report any items not at satisfactory temperature/standard to supervisor.
• Store and rotate refrigerated items correctly with date codes.
• Move and handle trolleys and equipment safely within areas.
• Clear and clean crockery, utensils, and premises to high cleanliness standards.
• Operate dishwashing machinery safely and effectively.
• Follow COSHH, safety and hygiene procedures at all times.
• Dress code and personal hygiene standards must be observed.
• Comply with food safety and personal hygiene codes, Natasha's Law for Allergens.

Skills

Catering experience

Food safety knowledge

HACCP knowledge

COSHH awareness

Manual handling

Teamwork

Reading & writing

Education

Food Hygiene Level 2 certificate

Tools

Dishwashing machine

Food service equipment

Waste disposal equipment

Job description

The meal service works on a conveyor belt system where the meal is assembled at stations on either side of the conveyor. At the end of the service the area and equipment is cleaned down ready for the next days service. A 'strip down' conveyor dismantles the returned meal trays and put through the industrial dishwasher ready for the next service. The post is on an 8 week rota basis including weekends and Bank Holidays 3pm to 8pm and 4 to 8pm.

Main duties

• Plating of meals for patients and working on various sections of the 'Tray Meal Service' system paying particular attention to presentation and portion control.
• General clearing and cleaning tasks following meal service.
• Emptying & clearing returned meal trolleys, trays and meal dishes.
• Dishwashing tasks using waste disposal equipment, sorting & cleaning crockery and cutlery; and loading / unloading Dish-Washing machine.
• Moving & handling of Meal Trolleys and Service equipment in the Patient's Meal Service area.
• Delivery and collection of meal trolleys to all wards as required.

The successful candidates will be able to meet the physical requirements of the post, have catering experience and ideally hold a food safety certificate although this is not essential as training will be given.

Key responsibilities

• Serving meals for patients or staff and other customers as required.
• Compliance with the Catering Department Services and Hygiene & Quality Standards.
• Attractive presentation of all food items served.
• Correct and consistent portion control.
• Meeting the physical required tempo of work & service deadlines.
• Assisting in basic preparation and portioning of foods including Salads, sandwiches, Fruits and Cold Snacks.
• As applicable to daily work section, completing written records of times and temperatures of foods as required. (H.A.C.C.P. - Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)
• Reporting to Section Supervisor regarding any food items which are not considered to be of a satisfactory temperature / standard for meals service.
• Ensuring that all items needing refrigeration are correctly stored and used in date code rotation.
• Moving & handling of Trolleys e.g. General transfer of food items, using trolleys and other food service equipment within operational areas. (observing safe 'Moving & Handling - refer to sections below)
• Clearing and cleaning of crockery, utensils, catering equipment and premises as required to maintain high standards of cleanliness.
• Dishwashing operations (including use of crockery & utensil washing machinery)
• Being aware of and complying with correct cleaning procedures and instructions for use of cleaning materials. (C.O.S.H.H. - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health)
• Being correctly / cleanly dressed when on duty and in compliance with rules regarding jewellery, watches, hair control etc.
• Strictly complying with codes of practice for general food safety and personal hygiene.
• Being aware of and complying with Natasha's law for Allergens.
• Knowing and applying the correct procedures in catering staff responsibilities to report any sickness and especially that compliance with the D & V policy is ensured.
• Correctly operating, (under supervision as appropriate) and ensuring proper cleaning, to a high standard of hygiene, any item of machinery used.
• Being aware of and following the Health and Safety procedures of the Catering Department and of the Trust.
• Observing and complying with safe 'Moving and Handling' guidance and training.
• Meeting personal responsibility, for own safety and safety of colleagues, through safe working practices.
• Warning colleagues, and reporting to Supervisor or Catering Manager, of any identified potential risk e.g. defective equipment.
• Taking appropriate action in the event of an accident to notify Supervisor or Catering Manager without delay, referring to and completing online Incident Report in line with Health & Safety policy.

Personal

The working environment of the main kitchen meals service area, serving over 4000 meals daily, may often be hot, noisy and very busy due to the requirement to meet speed and timeliness of meals service 3 times daily, every day of the year. The duties of a Catering Assistant working in a hot environment and involves long periods standing / walking in catering department areas.

Basic reading and writing skills

• Basic Reading and writing skills which are required to read patient menus and understand policies and procedures and Catering instructions and procedures.
• Will satisfactorily complete Food Hygiene training and achieve qualification within first 12 weeks of employment.

Desirable criteria

• Holding recent Qualification in Food Hygiene at Level 2, Previous employment or studies indicate capability to undertake training in duties of post.
• Experienced in catering industry in similar position with full working knowledge of hygiene & food safety.
• Evident Good Personal Hygiene, Clean and tidy appearance.
• 2 Satisfactory References.

About us

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

One LSC (One Lancashire and South Cumbria) is one system serving Lancashire and South Cumbria in a joined-up way. It is run by the five Trusts as a collaborative partnership. The Trusts that make up One LSC are:

• Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

The core principles of One LSC are by bringing services more closely together we can deliver the best service possible, eliminate duplication, ensure value for money, work across different organisations to benefit from being able to share common systems and processes.

Equal opportunities

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.

Salary and working hours

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.

Hours: 22hrs weekly 5 days over 7 including weekend on an 8 week Rota basis including weekends and Bank holidays 3pm to 8pm and 4 to 8pm.

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.