Chef

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Poole; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Poole seeks a qualified Chef to join its Catering team. The role involves preparing meals, ensuring high standards of service, and working flexibly across different locations. Ideal candidates will have relevant catering experience and a commitment to quality food service. The position offers various benefits, including enhanced pay for unsocial hours and paid training.

Benefits

Enhanced Pay for unsocial hours

Paid training

Free uniform

27 days paid holiday plus bank holidays

Increased holiday allowance after 5 and 10 years

NHS Pension Scheme

Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a similar environment required.
• COSHH and allergen training (or willingness to work towards it) are required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the preparation, cooking and service of meals for patients and staff.
• Liaise effectively with Food Production Manager on meal quality.
• Work in differing sections of the Catering Department as needed.

Skills

Catering experience

Ability to follow recipes

Flexible working

Education

City & Guilds 706 1/2 or NVQ equivalent

Job description

Overview

University Hospitals Dorset is seeking a friendly, hardworking, reliable & qualified Chef to work within the Catering team to provide freshly cooked food to our patients and staff. The team is responsible for providing an efficient, high quality, dedicated food and beverage service, operating in compliance with corporate and local policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Ensure the preparation, cooking and service of meals for patients and staff is to the standard of City & Guilds 706 1/2 or NVQ equivalent.
• Liaise effectively with Food Production Manager on meal quality, and inform all staff about any menu changes.
• Follow recipes accurately, so as to ensure correct cooking times, cooking methods and number of portions produced.
• It may be necessary to work in differing sections of the Catering Department to meet service needs. This would usually be duties appropriate to band level.
• You must be flexible to work locations and hours and to meeting the needs of our customers and patients whilst being supportive of the large food service operation at the UHD.

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a similar environment and COSHH and allergen training (or willingness to work towards it) are required.
• A driving licence would be an advantage but is not essential, this position has to cover 7 days and you will work any 5 days.

Additional information

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with 'university hospital' status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m. We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £250m estates programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve. In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you'll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we're also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work. We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce. At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group. As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes. We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process. Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD. They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues.

UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme. This means that some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term. Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have about this at interview.

Please note if the role or service is relocated as part of a planned move, employees will not be eligible for excess mileage reimbursement. Travel from the postholder's home to the new work base will be considered a normal commute. Any other changes not related to this relocation will be managed according to the relevant Trust or National terms and conditions.

This post is part of the Operational Estates service that UHD may transfer to an NHS 'wholly owned subsidiary'; the proposed date of transfer is October 2025. The NHS wholly owned subsidiary will continue to offer NHS AFC T&Cs to current employees who transfer in October as well as to new employees recruited after that date.

Benefits

• Enhanced Pay for unsocial hours worked (Saturday, Sunday).
• No split shifts
• Paid training
• Free uniform
• 27 days paid holiday (pro rata for part time) plus bank holidays
• Increased holiday allowance after 5 and 10 years' service
• Enrolment in the NHS Pension Scheme
• Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities - including childcare vouchers, car lease and cycle scheme, home technology equipment
• Staff Rates on Items in the Catering Departments retail outlets
• NHS discounts to save on your shopping, gym membership and more

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands. This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received. COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. While this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.