Cook

NHS; Haverfordwest; Remote; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Part time

Job summary

Hywel Dda University Health Board in Pembrokeshire is seeking a Cook to join the Catering Department at Withybush General Hospital. The role focuses on preparing fresh, nutritious meals for patients and staff, contributing to a high-quality dining experience in a healthcare setting.

The post is 30 hours across four days with a pattern including early, servery, and late shifts. Experience in healthcare catering and a commitment to safety and dietary needs are required.

Qualifications

• City and Guilds 7061 and 2 or equivalent.
• NVQ Level 3 in Food Preparation.
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate.
• Advanced Food Hygiene Certificate (or willingness to achieve).
• Knowledge of HACCP and HACCP systems.
• Health and Safety, COSHH and Moving & Handling knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Prepare fresh, homemade meals for patients, staff and visitors.
• Produce meals in a busy hospital catering environment.
• Follow planned shift patterns and ensure dietary requirements are met.
• Support overall food provision and maintain high quality standards.

Education

City and Guilds 7061 and 2 or equivalent

NVQ Level 3 in Food Preparation

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Advanced Food Hygiene Certificate

Tools

HACCP knowledge

Health and Safety, COSHH, Moving and Handling knowledge

Job description

Our Hywel Dda values reflect who we are and how we behave. We continuously work together to be the best we can be as we strive to develop and deliver excellent services, putting people at the heart of everything we do. Throughout our recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you would demonstrate these values in the way that you work with us.

Hywel Dda University Health Board reserve the right to close vacancies after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. We encourage early applications to ensure consideration for a post.

Job overview

Are you passionate about preparing nutritious, high-quality meals and delivering a service that makes a real difference to people's wellbeing? We are looking for a dedicated Cook to join the Catering Department at Withybush General Hospital.

As part of our commitment to improving the dining experience for patients, we are moving from a frozen cook system to a fresh cook approach, creating a wider range of homemade meals, from hearty main dishes to delicious puddings. Our aim is to provide high-quality, freshly prepared food packed with nutrition and flavour, offering meal choices that support recovery and wellbeing and that we can be proud of.

This 30-hour post includes a combination of early shifts (6:30am-2:30pm), servery shifts(9:00am-5:00pm) cooking for staff and visitors, and late shifts (10:30am-6:30pm), together with one relief week within the rota.

Main duties of the job

We are passionate about food and are looking for the right person to help us deliver the very best nutritional care to the people of Pembrokeshire. This role offers the opportunity to use your culinary skills in a rewarding healthcare environment, preparing fresh, homemade meals that make a real difference to patients every day. With a 30-hour contract worked across four days, a planned shift pattern and three weekends off in every six, the role provides the consistency and balance to enjoy a fulfilling career alongside life outside of work.

Working within a busy hospital catering environment, you will be responsible for the preparation and production of meals for patients, while also supporting food provision for staff and visitors.

As part of Hywel Dda University Health Board, you will join a supportive team committed to delivering high-quality services to our local communities, where your skills and dedication will make a valuable contribution every day.

Working for our organisation

Hywel Dda University Health Board plans and provides NHS healthcare services for people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and bordering counties.

We have over 13,000 staff and together we provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services.

We work in partnership with the three local authorities, as well as public, private and third sector colleagues, including our valued team of volunteers.

Our services are provided in:

• Four main hospitals: Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth; Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen; Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli; and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest
• Five community hospitals: Amman Valley and Llandovery hospitals in Carmarthenshire; Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion; and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals in Pembrokeshire
• Two integrated care centres: Aberaeron and Cardigan in Ceredigion, and several other community settings
• 47 general practices (six of which are health board managed practices); dental practices (including four orthodontic); 97 community pharmacies; 43 general ophthalmic practices; and 8 ophthalmic domiciliary providers
• Numerous mental health and learning disabilities services

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full job description and person specification attached within the supporting documents.

The Health Board is committed to supporting its staff to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing patient and service user experiences. In our commitment to increase the number of staff who are able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this post. If you do not meet the Welsh Language requirements specified, the Health Board offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal desirable requirements during the course of your employment with us.

Interviews will take place on 11/11/2026

Qualifications and Knowledge

• Basic level of general education
• City and Guilds 706 1 and 2 or equivalent
• NVQ Level 3 in Food Preparation
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
• Detailed Food Hygiene knowledge and knowledge of HACCP systems
• Advanced Food Hygiene Certificate (or willingness to achieve)
• Health and Safety, COSHH, Moving and Handling knowledge

Experience

• Previous experience of similar cooks duties
• Experience in similar size establishment or organisation
• Experience of special dietary needs

Language Requirements

• Welsh Speaker (Level 1)

Hywel Dda University Health Board operates a bilingual policy. All applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR APPLICANTS: Applications for our roles are carefully reviewed and shortlisted based on specific criteria, which varies from job to job. Using a generic application to apply for multiple roles or relying on automated AI application services, such as Lazy Apply or AI Apply, may not provide the necessary information, leading to your application being overlooked. To ensure your application is given full consideration, we recommend submitting a tailored application that directly addresses the criteria listed in the Person Specification section of the advert.

By submitting your application to NHS Jobs/Trac, you are giving your consent for elements of your application data to be transferred to the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and other secure, internal NHS Workforce systems in order to support and manage your recruitment and employment within your employing organisation; to be used by Recruitment for purposes of checking your Professional Registration online (where applicable).

These processes are in line with Fair and Lawful processing in line with current Data Protection Legislation especially those in relation to your personal or sensitive personal data (sensitive personal data is defined as any declared physical or mental health conditions, racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, trade union membership, political opinion, religious beliefs). As an organisation, we ensure that the legislation defining confidentiality is observed such as use of data for specific, defined purposes, and use of data that is relevant and not excessive whilst practicing data accuracy and security of all held personal identifiable information (PII)

If you are successfully appointed, by completing the application form you authorise the UHB to obtain any previous NHS service details including all electronically held sickness information, via the Inter Authority Transfer process on the national Electronic Staff Record (ESR).

To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa , unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK . If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.