General Catering Assistant

Work Learn Live Blmk; Bedford; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 22,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospital trust is looking for a General Catering Assistant to join their Support Services Directorate. The role involves providing high-quality catering services, ensuring cleanliness and hygiene, and offering excellent customer service to patients and staff. Join a dedicated team committed to delivering outstanding patient care through teamwork and compliance with health and safety standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in a care or hospital environment preferred.
• Experience of working with the public.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the service of patient meals and manage food trolleys.
• Monitor and replenish stock levels of cleaning materials.
• Ensure cleanliness and compliance with COSHH regulations.

Skills

Teamwork

Customer Service

Health & Safety Knowledge

Education

Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Qualification/Certificate in Customer Service

Job description

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

General Catering Assistant

The closing date is 06 June 2025

As a member of the Support Services Directorate, to play an active role in the provision of high quality catering service, ensuring that high standards of cleanliness and hygiene are maintained throughout the retail area and being responsive to the needs of the patients, visitors and staff through the delivery of excellent customer service at all times within the retail area of the hospital.

Main duties of the job

• to record temperature's of temperature controlled areas in accordance with the HACCP system and guidance.
• To assist with basic restocking, ordering and other comparable tasks as directed by the Catering Manager and Deputy Catering Manager for products used with the retail area.
• To clean departmental equipment and areas, including storage spaces and temperature controlled areas in accordance with the HACCP system and guidance.
• To monitor all shop areas for signs of pest infestation and to report any such infestations to the Catering Manager to ensure that appropriate measures can be taken to remove the reported pests.
• To ensure that all food waste is disposed of in the food waste machine and that all other waste material is compacted as far as possible and disposed of in the appropriate location.
• To correctly store and use all cleaning materials within the catering department, to ensure that the work is carried out in a safe manner and to the required standards and in accordance with COSHH regulations.
• To assist with the service of patients, staff and visitor within the shop area within the hospital.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

• To correctly store and use all cleaning materials within the catering department, to ensure that the work is carried out in a safe manner and to the required standards and in accordance with COSHH regulations.
• To assist with the service of patient meals; loading the food trolleys and ensure that these are delivered at the specified time and plugged into the relevant point on each ward.
• To ensure that all food trolleys are promptly returned to the kitchen, cleared and cleaned following each meal service; ensuring that they are ready for the next meal service as required.
• To manage stock items through agreed systems of rotation, ensuring that all items are in date and stored in accordance with food storage regulations (HACCP).
• To organise own workload on a daily basis, working within scheduling guidelines to ensure that all required tasks are completed each day
• To monitor and replenish stock levels of cleaning materials, portable cleaning equipment and disposables; ensuring that items do not fall below acceptable levels and reordering as necessary
• To accurately complete appropriate documentation and logs as required.

Please see full job description attached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
• Qualification/Certificate in Customer Service

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Health & Safety procedures

Experience

• Previous experience of working as part of a team
• Previous experience of working with the public
• Previous experience of working in a care or hospital environment

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.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bedford Hospital, South Wing