Cook

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions Ltd is seeking a Catering role to support the catering supervisor and cooking grades in delivering a professional meal service for patients and staff. You will uphold strict hygiene practices and adhere to departmental policies and procedures.

The role involves preparing meals, loading patient trolleys, cooking for various diets, and mentoring junior staff while maintaining safety standards and cost-effective use of resources.

Qualifications

• NVQ 1&2 in Food Preparation & cooking.
• NVQ level 3 in Food Preparation & Cooking.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety and manual handling techniques.
• Experience with patient meal requirements and therapeutic diets.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and load patient meal trolleys, ensuring accuracy and paperwork.
• Prepare and cook meals to a high standard following recipes for various diets.
• Prepare, cook and garnish hospitality items to high standards.
• Supervise lower grades and trainees where required.
• Report equipment or repair needs to supervisor.
• Clean premises, equipment and utensils to hygiene standards.
• Use materials and energy efficiently.
• Rotate stock and check date codes per guidelines.
• Deliver professional patient-focused meal service with hygiene and safety.

Skills

Health and safety awareness

Good cooking and presentation

Cook and garnish buffet items

Understand patient meal requirements

Professional customer service

Education

NVQ 1&2 Food Preparation & cooking

NVQ level 3 Food Preparation & Cooking

Job description

Main area Catering Grade CHS Grade B Contract Permanent: 5 days out of 7. 2 week rolling rota. Includes weekends Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5 hours per week) Job ref 372-CHSFW034

Employer Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions Ltd Employer type NHS Site Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Town Huddersfield Salary £25,324 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 01/11/2026 23:59

CHS is able to offer a wide range of services. Our scale enables us to offer competitive rates and we have a long track record of providing high quality, customer-focused services.

We offer comprehensive estates, facilities management, medical engineering, catering solutions and procurement services supporting the provision of safe, effective healthcare to our communities. We are committed to delivering our Green Plan goals of reducing carbon emissions, air pollution, waste generation and improving recycling throughout delivery of our services. We also enable profit to go back into patient care.

CHS recognises that its staff are its greatest asset and that its business is its people. The company aims to create an environment and culture of openness, trust and honesty. We encourage and celebrate diversity because broader perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge will enrich and enhance the value we bring to each other, our clients, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Job overview

To assist the catering supervisor and cooking grades in all activities associated with the provision of a professional meal service for all groups of staff and patients while maintaining strict hygiene practices and adhering to departmental policies and procedures.

Main duties of the job

• Preparation and loading of patient meal trolleys ensuring accuracy with all food items, completing all necessary paperwork as required.
• Preparation and cooking of meals to a high standard accurately following recipes and cookery methods for a range of patient, staff and special diets including hospitality buffet items
• Preparation, cooking and garnishing of hospitality requirements to high standards
• The instruction of lower grades of staff and trainees where necessary.
• Report any equipment and works issues that require repair to the supervisor.
• Cleaning of premises and equipment and utensils to specified hygiene standards.
• Ensure the correct and economical use of materials including the effective use of all kitchen equipment and energy supplies.
• Responsibility for stock rotation and checking date codes when given cleaning duties by catering supervisors.
• The delivery of a Professional patient focused meal service ensuring all hygiene and safety standards are maintained at all times
• Demonstrate a professional customer focused service following departmental guidelines and adhering to any local ward protocols at all times.
• Accurately serving patients meal requirements ensuring temperature controls are maintained for hot and cold food during the service period.
• Record any changes to the meal service including the number of meal served and food wastage.

Working for our organisation

At CHS we understand the differences in delivering our services in complex environments and we have a flexible approach to meet the needs of our customers. Our Estates and Facilities management functions alongside our Clinical Engineering, decontamination and procurement service, provides the following:

• Fully managed estate and building maintenance
• Clinical Engineering and Decontamination
• Procurement advice, guidance and governance
• Capital project management
• Transport
• Grounds maintenance.
• Catering
• Cleaning (including robot and deep cleaning)

All provided to nationally recognised standards giving you assurance that your premises and equipment will be the best they can, and your customers will have confidence in you as a provider.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the job description and person specification below for full details about the role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• NVQ 1&2 Food Preparation & cooking
• NVQ level 3 Food Preparation & Cooking

Knowledge and Skills

• Awareness of Health and Safety and manual handling techniques
• Good standard of cooking and presentation skills
• Cook and garnish hot & cold buffet items.

Experience

• Understanding of patient meal requirements, including therapeutic diets
• Dealing with the general public in a professional manner.

Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions (CHS) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. All applicants must review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £46.40, Standard £25.40 or Basic £25.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). For Enhanced and Standard DBS checks you will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £15 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

If you have any questions please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Name Henry Downs Job title Senior Facilities Manager for Catering & Retail Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01484355965 Additional information

Gina Ryan Assistant Catering Manager 01484 342444 [e-mail]

At Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, we are excited to offer a range of volunteering roles, providing rewarding personal and professional opportunities for people from all backgrounds across a wide age range from our local communities, ensuring our volunteers are representative of our service users.