Catering Assistant

Sanctuary Group; North East; Hybrid; GBP 1,240,000 - 1,515,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave

Sick pay

Pension

Life insurance

Training & development

Flexible working

Staff networks

Retail discounts

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Sanctuary Care is seeking a Catering Assistant at Rushyfields in Brandon, Durham. Join a team dedicated to high-quality meals for residents, with a focus on empathy and excellent service. The role supports daily resident experience and food service in a care setting.

You will work within a supportive environment that values training, development, and flexible working arrangements, aiming to deliver meals safely and with pride in every service.

Qualifications

• Caring attitude and empathy toward residents.
• Ability to work effectively in a team.
• Strong communication with residents and colleagues.
• Flexible and adaptable to shift patterns and duties.

Responsibilities

• Support the catering team with basic food preparation and meal service.
• Present and serve meals to a high standard for residents.
• Follow food hygiene and safety standards at all times.
• Keep kitchen and dining areas clean, safe and welcoming.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to support residents’ daily experience.
• A caring, enthusiastic approach with a genuine interest in older people.
• Good teamwork skills and a willingness to support colleagues.
• An understanding of safe food handling and cleaning practices.
• Previous catering experience and a food hygiene certificate, or willingness to work towards one.
• Clear communication skills and a flexible approach.

Skills

Caring attitude

Teamwork

Communication skills

Flexibility

Education

Food hygiene certificate

Job description

Inclusion is one of our core values. Our goal is to be a diverse, inclusive organisation where our people thrive and meet our customers’ needs with fairness and empathy. We know having a range of ideas and opinions makes a difference. We encourage and welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds to support this mission. We will make adjustments throughout your application process, in line with Sanctuary’s commitment to our Disability Confident employer status.

Catering Assistant

Cook up your career in care with a better work-life balance

We believe providing culinary excellence is more than a job – it’s a calling, and we’d love you to be part of it. We’re excited to welcome a Catering Assistant to our friendly team at Rushyfields inBrandon - Brandon Lane, Durham, DH7 8SH. And with sector leading results showing our colleagues highly recommend Sanctuary Care as a great place to work, you’ll be joining a culture that supports you to thrive, grow, and be recognised for the difference you make.

We're proudlyInvestors in People Gold accredited and not-for-profit, which means every penny we make goes straight back into our people and our homes. Whether you’ve already found your calling or you’re still discovering it, we’ll support you every step of the way. From your first day to your dream role, we’ll help you get there.

When you join Sanctuary Care, you’re joining an award-winning team where colleagues and residents truly matter. We’re proud winners of the 2025 Nursing Times Award for Care of Older People and the 2025 Care Home Awards Best for Training and Development, and Outstanding Larger Care Home Group.

Your role

• Support the catering team with basic food preparation and meal service
• Present and serve meals to a high standard for residents
• Follow food hygiene and safety standards at all times
• Keep kitchen and dining areas clean, safe and welcoming
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to support residents’ daily experience
• A caring, enthusiastic approach with a genuine interest in older people
• Good teamwork skills and a willingness to support colleagues
• An understanding of safe food handling and cleaning practices
• Previous catering experience and a food hygiene certificate, or willingness to work towards one
• Clear communication skills and a flexible approach

Your rewards

You deserve more than the basics. That’s why, alongside 28 days’ annual leave pro rata (including bank holidays),occupational sick paylinked to length of service, and acontributory pension, we’ve created a package to help you thrive:

• CQC inspection bonus
• Health and wellbeing support– including Aviva Digicare+ with virtual GP appointments, plus an Employee Assistance Programme offering medical, financial, and legal advice, as well as short-term counselling
• Company-paid life insurance
• Parental leave arrangementsandannual leave purchase scheme
• Company-funded trainingand ongoing career development opportunities, including our Team Leader Development Programme
• Flexible working optionsand aninclusive culturewhere everyone belongs, supported by our staff networks including PRISM, Disability, Race Equality and Parent networks
• Exclusive retail discounts, Cycle to Work, and salary sacrifice arrangements

Some rewards are subject to a qualifying period or other criteria – visit our website for more information.

Before you apply

• We can only accept applications from individuals with the right to work in the UK.
• All roles require safeguarding and pre-employment checks, including criminal records and overseas police checks if needed; for more information, please get in touch.
• Internal candidates should apply via their internal careers account.
• We may close this advert early, so please apply as soon as possible.

Inclusion is one of our core values

We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process in line with our Disability Confident employer status.

We work closely with the Home Office in order to prevent illegal working.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be necessary in the event of a successful application which we will pay for.

Sanctuary Care Limited is a subsidiary of Sanctuary Housing Association, an exempt charity.