Catering Assistant

Integrated Care System; Wigan; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider is seeking enthusiastic Catering Assistants to join their dynamic catering team in Wigan. The role requires food preparation, meal service, and maintaining hygiene standards. Successful candidates will receive comprehensive training and may work flexible hours across different shifts. This is a great opportunity to contribute to patient care while developing within the NHS.

Benefits

Excellent Pension & Life Assurance Package

Annual leave 27 to 33 days

Paid occupational maternity/paternity leave

Training opportunities

Health and wellbeing support

Career progression opportunities

NHS Discount schemes

Qualifications

• No formal qualifications are required; training will be provided.
• CIEHO Level II Food Safety course required.
• Flexibility and ability to work unsociable hours.

Responsibilities

• Prepare food according to specified recipes.
• Serve meals at ward level to patients.
• Maintain high standards of hygiene in the kitchen.

Skills

Basic literacy

Numeracy skills

Teamwork

Ability to meet deadlines

Willingness to learn

Education

CIEHO Level II Food Safety Qualification

Tools

Cleaning machinery

Job description

Go back Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Catering Assistant

The closing date is 18 August 2025

The Catering Department are looking to recruit 6 Catering Assistants.

1 x 30 hour post, working 12.00 pm-6.30 pm. Working 5 weekend out of 7.

2 x 25 hour posts, working 11.00 am-4.00 pm. Working every other weekend.

These positions will need to provide cover when required.

The rota pattern will be explained on interview.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the NHS and help to provide an excellent meal service to the patients of Wigan 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.

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 opportunitieswithin 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

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 produce cooked foods e.g. soups, gravy, fried, bacon etc.

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.

May 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, occasional 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.

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.

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.
• Previous use of cleaning machinery, Dishwashing or machinery or other Catering equipment.

Knowledge

• Understanding of how important food safety is.
• An awareness of the hospital and what activities occur.
• Knowledge of the Hospital site, or Catering Department.

Additional

• Working unsociable hours, mobility to meet requirements of the service. to provide cover for colleagues, Could be expected to work in cold rooms , hot and noisy environments, The criteria below is mandatory and is to be included for all roles which involve regular interaction with the public. Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, ie; with confidence and accuracy using correct sentence structures and vocabulary without t to provide the cover for colleagues , Could be expected to work in cold rooms , hot and noisy
• 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