Food Service Assistant

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust; Pembury; On-site; GBP 19,000 - 23,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave (pro‑rata)

NHS Pension Scheme with employer part

Blue Light card eligibility

Flexible working options

Job summary

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s Catering Team at Tunbridge Wells Hospital is seeking enthusiastic Food Service Assistants to help provide meals to patients, staff and visitors. You will maintain strict food safety standards and cleanliness within kitchens and dining areas, while supporting stock control and documentation in a busy hospital environment.

Full training and opportunities to gain qualifications are provided; prior catering experience is welcome but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Assisting with the preparation and service of meals for patients, staff and visitors.
• Ensuring food is handled, stored and served in accordance with food hygiene and safety procedures.
• Maintaining high standards of cleanliness within kitchens, pantries, dining areas and food service areas.
• Cleaning catering equipment, utensils, crockery and work surfaces.
• Monitoring, rotating and storing stock correctly, and reporting any wastage.
• Receiving deliveries and assisting with stock checks and stock control processes.
• Completing documentation including temperature records, cleaning schedules and other departmental records.
• Reporting equipment faults, hazards, incidents and near misses in a timely manner.
• Supporting compliance with health and safety, infection prevention and control, and departmental procedures.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure an efficient and reliable catering service.

Job description

Are you passionate about providing excellent customer service? Do you enjoy working as part of a busy team in a role where your work directly supports patient care? We are looking for enthusiastic and reliable Food Service Assistants to join our dedicated Catering Team at Tunbridge Wells Hospital. Every meal served plays an important role in a patient's experience and recovery, and you'll be a vital part of delivering a high-quality service to patients, visitors and staff. The role involves being an integrated part of the Catering team providing Food and beverage services to the patients and maintaining the highest standard of cleaning to food preparation areas at ward level, ensuring at all times the highest degree of cleanliness, safety and care. We are looking for enthusiastic, reliable and flexible individuals who take pride in their work, enjoy working as part of a team and are committed to delivering excellent service. You will need a positive attitude, good communication skills and a willingness to follow procedures and maintain high standards in a busy environment. The Food Service Assistant team are responsible for providing all patient food from breakfast through to lunch and supper. Full training and the opportunity to gain qualifications is provided; however experienced candidates are also encouraged to apply. Therefore, if you have experience of working in a busy catering environment and have demonstrable experience of working autonomously, along with being a confident communicator, why not consider joining our team?

• Assisting with the preparation and service of meals for patients, staff and visitors.
• Ensuring food is handled, stored and served in accordance with food hygiene and safety procedures.
• Maintaining high standards of cleanliness within kitchens, pantries, dining areas and food service areas.
• Cleaning catering equipment, utensils, crockery and work surfaces.
• Monitoring, rotating and storing stock correctly, and reporting any wastage.
• Receiving deliveries and assisting with stock checks and stock control processes.
• Completing documentation including temperature records, cleaning schedules and other departmental records.
• Reporting equipment faults, hazards, incidents and near misses in a timely manner.
• Supporting compliance with health and safety, infection prevention and control, and departmental procedures.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure an efficient and reliable catering service.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.

We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offerspecialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre. Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms. Looking for flexible working? We are a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.

Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:

• At least 27 days of annual leaveplus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
• Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
• Blue Light card eligibility
• And more,additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below