Food Technician

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization seeks a catering assistant to deliver meals and maintain food safety standards. Duties include supporting meal preparations, handling food items hygienically, and cooperating with clinical staff to serve patients effectively. Ideal for individuals with a background in catering and a focus on customer care.

Qualifications

• Ability to achieve Foundation Food Safety certification or equivalent.
• Experience in catering or food hygiene principles.
• Ability to work with temperature recording devices.

Responsibilities

• Delivery of chilled meals to wards and compliance with Food Safety regulations.
• Cleaning duties as per department schedules.
• Assist in meal preparation and ensure safe food handling practices.

Skills

Good communication

Ability to co-ordinate multiple tasks

Ability to follow instructions

Education

Foundation Food Safety certificate

Job description

Job Summary

Delivery of chilled meals and catering provisions to wards as required

Regeneration of designated patient meals at ward level and within the Delivered Meal Service preparation kitchen

Facilitating patient meal call-backs and delivery to appropriate wards

Reporting equipment failure or concerns relating to defective equipment to the Catering Service Manager and Estates maintenance helpdesk

Working as a team member facilitating service provision cross cover as appropriate

To comply with relevant Food Safety Acts, Regulations, and departmental policies

To assist the department in achieving the delivery of a quality service to all service users

To assist patients to select their chosen meals on daily basis and input using available ordering system

Main duties of the job

Compliance with current Food Safety Act's and Regulations

Compliance with set quality, quantity and food waste control measures

To comply with the departments Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point [HACCP]

The apportionment and delivery of chilled/frozen meals to wards

To carry out daily cleaning duties in accordance with the departments cleaning schedule

To achieve as a minimum the Food Safety Level 2 certificate

To ensure all service users are treated with the highest regard to customer care

To work in a safe and hygienic manner, ensuring the highest standard of food safety

To maintain the highest standard of personal and professional presentation

To undertake on/off the job training as required

To comply with trust policies and procedures

To take part in the trust appraisal process

About Us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Details

Date posted

19 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 2

Salary

£29,583 a year per annum inclusive of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-3174

Job locations

Whittington Hospital

London

N19 5NF

Job Description

Job responsibilities

To undertake equipment and fabric cleaning duties, in compliance with the departments cleaning schedules as directed by the Catering Service Manager

To undertake duties concerning the receipt and appropriate storage of goods delivered to the department

To undertake the distribution of goods to ward and clinical areas as directed

To assist / load patients meal items into insulated boxes

To deliver food items to the ward areas

To load chilled food products into ward regeneration trolleys in accordance with the

departments Hazard Analysis Critical Control Policy, HACCP

To undertake the regeneration of meals as instructed in compliance with current procedures

To undertake temperature checks of food and where appropriate equipment in accordance with the departments HACCP procedures

To record required information in connection with the regeneration of meals, using the departments data-logging system

To facilitate patient meal call-backs as requested by ward staff, and/or staff involved

in patient care

To remove waste from the department in compliance with trust policy

To assist in moving goods within the department and to other parts of the site as required

To assist in the defrosting of cold storage units as required

To notify a senior member of the catering management team of issues brought to your attention

To undertake related catering portering duties as required

To work in a safe manner ensuring safety requirements are complied with, having an overall awareness of departmental Security and Fire prevention procedures

To ensure compliance with the departments HACCP requirements at all times

To work as part of the team in the provision of services to service users

To comply with hygienic systems set within the department, ensuring the highest standard of food safety at all times

To maintain the highest standard of personal and professional presentation at all times

Any other duties that are necessary and commensurate with the post. This may require technicians to carry out extra duties to those detailed above

This job description is a working document and subject to review and change, in the provision of a comprehensive hospital catering service

This job description is intended as a general guide and is not exhaustive. It may be reviewed with the post holder depending on future requirements and service needs

Any other duties necessary and commensurate with the nature and grading of the post. This may require the post holder to carry out extra duties to those detailed above

Job Description

Job responsibilities

To undertake equipment and fabric cleaning duties, in compliance with the departments cleaning schedules as directed by the Catering Service Manager

To undertake duties concerning the receipt and appropriate storage of goods delivered to the department

To undertake the distribution of goods to ward and clinical areas as directed

To assist / load patients meal items into insulated boxes

To deliver food items to the ward areas

To load chilled food products into ward regeneration trolleys in accordance with the

departments Hazard Analysis Critical Control Policy, HACCP

To undertake the regeneration of meals as instructed in compliance with current procedures

To undertake temperature checks of food and where appropriate equipment in accordance with the departments HACCP procedures

To record required information in connection with the regeneration of meals, using the departments data-logging system

To facilitate patient meal call-backs as requested by ward staff, and/or staff involved

in patient care

To remove waste from the department in compliance with trust policy

To assist in moving goods within the department and to other parts of the site as required

To assist in the defrosting of cold storage units as required

To notify a senior member of the catering management team of issues brought to your attention

To undertake related catering portering duties as required

To work in a safe manner ensuring safety requirements are complied with, having an overall awareness of departmental Security and Fire prevention procedures

To ensure compliance with the departments HACCP requirements at all times

To work as part of the team in the provision of services to service users

To comply with hygienic systems set within the department, ensuring the highest standard of food safety at all times

To maintain the highest standard of personal and professional presentation at all times

Any other duties that are necessary and commensurate with the post. This may require technicians to carry out extra duties to those detailed above

This job description is a working document and subject to review and change, in the provision of a comprehensive hospital catering service

This job description is intended as a general guide and is not exhaustive. It may be reviewed with the post holder depending on future requirements and service needs

Any other duties necessary and commensurate with the nature and grading of the post. This may require the post holder to carry out extra duties to those detailed above

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Ability to use own initiative with minimum supervision
• Good communicator both verbal and written
• Ability to follow instructions
• Ability to work in a safe systematic manner
• Ability to meet set deadlines
• Ability to co-ordinate multiple tasks
• Ability to cope with change
• Ability to work with data / temperature recording devices
  
  

Desirable

• Understanding of what constitutes good customer service
  
  

Knowledge

Essential

• To be proactive and organized in daily work activities
  
  

Desirable

• Knowledge of the basic principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
• Knowledge of NHS catering operations
  
  

Previous Experience

Essential

• Previous experience working within a Catering environment
• Understanding of basic Food Hygiene Principles
  
  

Desirable

• NHS experience
• Experience within a Catering environment
  
  

Qualifications

Essential

• Ability to achieve as a minimum the Foundation Food Safety certificate or it's equivalent qualification
  
  

Desirable

• Health and Safety training
• Customer care training
• Advance food safety training
  
  

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Flexibility
• Integrity and discretion
• Organised and methodical in your approach to work
• Good communication Skills
• Calm under pressure
• Team worker
  
  

Desirable

• Creative
• Outgoing, friendly personality
  
  

Person Specification

Essential

• Flexibility
• Integrity and discretion
• Organised and methodical in your approach to work
• Good communication Skills
• Calm under pressure
• Team worker
  
  

Desirable

• Creative
• Outgoing, friendly personality
  
  

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 details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Whittington Hospital

London

N19 5NF

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Whittington Hospital

London

N19 5NF

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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