Catering Assistant

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Leigh; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional hospital trust is seeking a dynamic Catering Assistant to help deliver high-quality meal services at Leigh Infirmary. The role involves food preparation, cleaning, and meal service, with extensive training provided, including food safety requirements. Ideal candidates will work well under pressure in a busy team environment, adhering to strict food safety standards.

Benefits

Excellent Pension & Life Assurance Package

Annual leave entitlements of 27 to 33 days

Paid occupational maternity, paternity, and adoption leave

Training opportunities and eLearning resources

Health and wellbeing support

Career Progression opportunities

Access to NHS discount schemes

Long Service Awards

Qualifications

• No formal qualifications are required; training will be provided.
• Understanding of food safety importance is required.
• Willingness to work in different environments like cold rooms.

Responsibilities

• Assist in food preparation and service within the kitchens.
• Complete audit forms related to food safety.
• Work efficiently as part of a team to meet deadlines.

Skills

Basic literacy and numeracy

Ability to work as a team

Willingness to learn new skills

Basic IT Skills

Knowledge of food safety

Education

CIEHO Level II Food Safety Qualification

Job description

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Catering Assistant

The closing date is 03 December 2025

We are excited to announce that we are looking for a dynamic Catering Assistant to join our passionate team at Leigh Infirmary.

Vacancy Details – 1 x 30 hour position, working Monday – Friday. Working Monday to Friday, 6 hours per day on a 6 week rolling rota. The shift patterns are: 7am – 1pm, 8am – 2pm, 9am – 3pm and 1:30pm – 7:30pm

The rota pattern will be further explained on interview.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the NHS and help to provide an excellent meal service to the patients, staff and visitors of Leigh Infirmary. There are many fantastic opportunities for development and progression within the Catering Department. The successful candidates should be enthusiastic and will enjoy being part of this dynamic team delivering a high-quality service.

Please note that this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of suitable applications are received. We encourage interested candidates to apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

Main duties of the job

You will work as part of a busy team working to tight timescales.

You will be required to undertake a wide range of duties including food preparation, cleaning and meal service duties within the kitchens, and retail outlets.

Completion of audit forms associated with food safety; financial policy & procedures will be required.

About us

Choose Well – Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

Good basic salary plus an attractive package of benefits which include:

• Excellent Pension & Life Assurance Package (over 20% employer contribution)
• Excellent annual leave entitlements 27 to 33 days per annum dependent upon service.
• Paid occupational maternity, paternity, and adoption leave dependent upon service.
• Training opportunities and eLearning resources.
• Health and wellbeing support.
• Career Progression opportunities within Estates & Facilities and the NHS.
• Access to salary sacrifice schemes for items such as lease vehicles and buy a bike schemes.
• NHS Discount schemes to access hundreds of discounts and savings from everything to High Street Stores to restaurants, family holidays and more.
• Long Service Awards.

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

As part of a busy team working to tight timescales, required to undertake a wide range of duties including food preparation, cleaning, cash handling, use of tills and meal service duties within the kitchens, retail outlets & wards. Completion of audit forms associated with food safety, financial policy & procedures.

Planning and Organisational Duties: Work to standard operational procedures. Preparation of food, this could be within high-risk chilled areas, to specified recipes. Ensuring labelling of products is correct e.g. product name dates. After training could be required to assist in the production of cooked foods e.g. soups & gravy. Performance of duties in accordance with approved methods, frequencies and standards, adhering to strict food safety standards. Meeting deadlines for production of meals as part of a team.

Will be required to take patient menu choices at ward level, offer alternatives where required. Required to serve meals at ward level to patients, or in retail outlets to staff & visitors delivery of buffets & functions outside the Department.

Use of equipment, machinery and cleaning materials once trained, ability to spot defects with fabric or machinery and report to Supervisor. Significant cleaning duties are associated with this post including cleaning of pans, cutlery, crockery, machinery, cooking equipment and floors walls and work surfaces.

Recording temperatures and other key audit requirements onto the appropriate monitoring forms, reporting to Supervisors where particularly temperatures may be outside required limits. Have high standards of personal Hygiene and follow the Departmental uniform code of practice.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

Required to provide information on menus to patients, staff & visitors e.g. allergen information. May be required to undertake patient satisfaction surveys at ward level. Answer the telephone and take messages from wards on additional meals required, pass these on in a timely manner to Supervisors. Communicate with colleagues to ensure meal service proceeds efficiently.

Responsibility for Finance

Required to handle cash, using the retail tills, or emptying vending machines. Use of bar code, card readers and security tags. May be required to open & secure the department. Maintain stock control. Follow departmental procedures for cash handling, managing balances, receipts, discount buttons and meal deals. Accurate recording of information onto audit sheets and correct bagging and tagging of cash & receipts for delivery to general offices. Compliance with Trust and local procedures.

Responsibility for Human Resources

Demonstrate own duties to new starters. Attend courses as directed, ensure compliance with mandatory training. Compliance with Trust and local procedures. Complete time sheet or work record.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Responsible for ensuring own safety at work. Adhere to our 'clean as you go' policy and ensure spillages are cleaned up immediately. Report any defects to Supervisors. Significant manual handling required, moving meal trolleys, waste bins, cages, cleaning equipment. Moving heavy boxes to storage. Compliance to Trust and Local procedures. Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

Demonstrate own duties to new starters.

Work Circumstances & on-call

May be Required to work unsocial hours. Required to work in noisy, hot, humid or chilled environments (cold rooms/freezers). Could be required to work flexible hours or work on another site. Contact with ill patients on ward duties. Could be asked to drive if qualified.

Standard Duties & Responsibilities

The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

All Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust staff employed within Clinical Environments and have contact with children, vulnerable adults; service users and their families must familiarise themselves, be aware of their responsibilities and adhere to Local Safeguarding Childrens Board, Local Safeguarding Adult Board and WWL Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Children which are available on the Trust Policy Library.

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, employees who are required to interact regularly with the public, both face to face, and by telephone, are required to be able to speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulators 2016, Data Protection Act 2018 and Information Governance Principles the post holder is not entitled to use for their own benefit or gain, or to divulge to any persons, firm or other organisation whatsoever, any confidential information belonging to the Trust or relating to the Trusts affairs or dealings which may come to their knowledge during employment.

Compliance with the Health & Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections and related guidance the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the reduction and management of healthcare related infection in all of their actions. This entails compliance with Trust Infection Prevention and Control policy and related Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs); along with risk assessment of all situations; as staff have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Staff must be fully compliant with Trust Infection prevention and Control e Learning policy.

All applicants to any post within the Trust are required to declare any involvement either directly or indirectly with any firm, company, relevant person or organisation which has any interest with the Trust, the services provided by the Trust or any element of patient care. Failure to do so may result in an employment application being rejected, or if it is discovered after appointment the omission of such information could lead to dismissal. This includes any form of private practice relating to medical care.

Compliance with Trust Policies and Procedures including the Code of Conduct.

Compliance with Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs) The SFIs identify the financial responsibilities which apply to everyone working for the Foundation Trust and its constituent organisations including trading units. Failure to comply with Standing Financial Instructions can in certain circumstances be regarded as a disciplinary matter that could result in dismissal. Compliance with the SFIs is monitored by the Finance Department and post holders are therefore required to understand their responsibilities outlined within this document and ensure compliance with its instructions.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• No formal qualifications are required: an induction period, on the job instruction & additional training will be given on Food handling and cleaning. This will include COSHH training/ minor cooking skills and attendance at a CIEHO Food Safety level II course as a requirement.
• CIEHO Level II Food Safety Qualification.

Experience

• Previous experience not required.
• Previous Catering Experience.
• Previous Cooking Experience.
• Previous Experience in a retail environment

Skills

• Basic literacy and numeracy required.
• Ability to record information onto forms, ability to work as a team.
• An understanding of working to deadlines.
• Willingness to learn new skills during training.
• Basic IT Skills
• Knowledge of barista style coffee machines

Knowledge

• Understanding of how important food safety is.
• An awareness of the hospital environment
• Knowledge of the Hospital site and/or the Catering Department.

Additional

• Working unsociable hours
• Flexibility to provide cover for colleagues.
• Could be expected to work in cold rooms, hot & noisy environments.
• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

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

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust