Chef

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Chester; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a skilled Chef to support the Deputy Head of Catering in delivering high-quality meals for patients, staff and visitors. You will prepare, cook and present dishes while upholding strict hygiene and food safety standards.

The role involves assisting in menu preparation for Ellesmere Port Hospital and coordinating with kitchen staff to ensure efficient service; prior experience in large-scale catering and knowledge of HACCP are desirable.

Qualifications

• City & Guilds 706/1&2 or NVQ Equivalent.
• Level 3 Award in Food Safety - Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Level 4 Food Safety Management.
• Basic health & Safety Certificate and Allergen Awareness.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, cook and serve meals to patients, staff and visitors, ensuring the highest standards of food hygiene throughout the process.
• Observe and maintain all necessary "due diligence" records as requested, i.e.: Fridge, Freezer Temperature recordings, HACCP.
• Follow/implement all aspects of food safety management systems, for which you are responsible.
• Follow standard recipes and methods and make the most economical use of fresh/raw ingredients, whilst maintaining strict avoidance of waste.
• Allocate work to the kitchen support staff, in conjunction with the Deputy Head/Manager, and assist in the induction and training of newly appointed Chefs, catering assistants and porters.
• Check that all food received is in accordance with quality and quantity ordered, adopting basic stock control principles.
• Assist in the ordering of certain perishable foods and dairy store items.

Skills

Chef experience

Food safety knowledge

HACCP understanding

Education

City & Guilds 706/1&2 or NVQ Equivalent

Level 3 Award in Food Safety - Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate

Level 4 Food Safety Management

Basic health & Safety Certificate

Allergen Awareness

Job description

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Chef

The closing date is 18 October 2026

Support the Deputy Head of Catering in achieving the highest standards of food preparation, cooking and service. The post holder will provide attractive and palatable meals to hospital patients, staff and visitors, and will adopt responsibility at all times for the quality and outcome of each dish prepared and each task undertaken.

The chef will have a commitment to the highest standards of personal hygiene and dress, and take full responsibility for ensuring safe food hygiene and health & safety practices are observed at all times.

Assist in the preparation, cooking and service of food for Ellesmere Port Hospital.

Enhancements apply as follows:

Main duties of the job

• Prepare, cook and serve meals as per menu to patients, staff and visitors, ensuring the highest standards of food hygiene throughout the process.
• Observe and maintain all necessary "due diligence" records as requested, i.e.: Fridge, Freezer Temperature recordings, HACCP.
• Follow/implement all aspects of food safety management systems, for which you are responsible.
• Follow standard recipes and methods and make the most economical use of fresh/raw ingredients, whilst maintaining strict avoidance of waste.
• Allocate work to the kitchen support staff, in conjunction with the Deputy Head /Manager, and assist in the induction and training of newly appointed Chefs, catering assistants and porters.
• Check that all food received is in accordance with quality and quantity ordered, adopting basic stock control principles.
• Assist in the ordering of certain perishable foods and dairy store items.

About us

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Job responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Person Specification

Qualification

• City & Guilds 706/1&2 or NVQ Equivalent.
• Good standard of English & Maths.
• Level 3 Award in Food Safety - Intermediate Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Basic health & Safety Certificate and Allergen Awareness.
• Chef experience in an industrial kitchen/traditional cooking.
• Level 4 Food Safety Management

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in the preparation of therapeutic diets
• Working knowledge of HACCP principles and their specific application for catering

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.

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust