Cook

NHS; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Cook to join the Catering Team at Freeman Hospital. The role is 37.5 hours per week, providing hot and cold meals for patients, staff and onsite nursery, with a focus on food safety and quality.

You will work a 5 days over 7 pattern, with shifts from 6am to 2pm or 10am to 6pm. NHS experience is advantageous; City & Guilds/NVQ Level 3 qualifications are preferred and HACCP training is valued.

Qualifications

• Qualified to City & Guilds 706/2 or NVQ Level 3 in food preparation or equivalent experience
• Intermediate food hygiene qualification
• Experience of NHS Catering would be an advantage
• Willing to work to a level 4 qualification

Responsibilities

• Ensuring the highest possible standard of food preparation and cooking.
• To comply with national nutritional policies and food hygiene standards.
• Providing and cooking fresh food for Patients, restaurant, of site offices and onsite nursery
• Working with the head chef to prepare daily specials
• Taking in part in food tasting and hygiene audits

Skills

Broad cooking methods

Flexibility & shifts

Education

City & Guilds 706/2

NVQ 3 in food preparation

Intermediate food hygiene

HACCP training

Job description

Go back The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cook

The closing date is 27 September 2026

Do you work in the Hospitality Industry as a Chef and you are looking for a new challenge with better hours, no split shifts, better work life balance and paid enhancements if your working weekends, then this could be the job for you, An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time Cook 37.5 hours a week to work as part of the Catering Team based at the Freeman Hospital. this post is mainly cooking for our on site Nursery however other general cooking duties may be included.

Knowledge and Experience with a broad range of cooking methods to include special diets would be an advantage. You must be qualified to City & Guilds 706/2 or NVQ Level 3 in food preparation or have equivalent experienceand also have intermediate food hygiene qualification. Experience of NHS Catering would be an advantage. Willing to work to a level 4 qualification.

• Interview Date Friday 09 October 2026

37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week- working shifts are 5 days over 7, shift pattern you will be working are 6am to 2pm and 10am to 6pm

Main duties of the job

You will working working shifts are 5 days over 7, shift pattern you will be working are 6am to 2pm and 10am to 6pm and must be Flexible to the needs of the Business . Duties include preparation and cooking of hot & cold foods for patients, staff, visitors, and some functions, you also must follow the hygiene within the kitchen to include temperature controls of all products, cleaning and other general duties.

We operate 365 days a year and you may be required to work over the Christmas Holidays if you are rostered in .

About us

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

• Ensuring the highest possible standard of food preparation and cooking.
• To comply with national nutritional policies and food hygiene standards.
• Providing and cooking fresh food for Patients, restaurant, of site offices and onsite nursery
• Working with the head chef to prepare daily specials
• Taking in part in food tasting and hygiene audits

Whilst Newcastle Hospitals are a forward thinking and highly innovative organisation, the use of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual application or to the recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Qualifications & Education

• City & Guilds 706/2 or NVQ 3 (food preparation) or equivalent experience.
• Hazard analysis training (HACCP) as part of advanced food hygiene controls

Knowledge & Experience

• Wide cooking methods
• Experience in Large scale Catering/ working with Dietetics
• Understanding of Trust Business
• Experience of working in the NHS kitchen

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

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust