Housekeeper

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust; Barnsley; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 15,000; Full time

Job summary

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust is seeking a Housekeeper to maintain high standards of cleanliness and catering within Kendray site hospital wards. The role covers 4 x 5-hour shifts across 7 days, including bank holidays, with duties spanning meal service, stock management and adherence to safety policies.

Applicants should be flexible, patient-focused and able to work well with multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Good interpersonal skills to interact with service users and staff
• Ability to work without immediate supervision and show initiative
• Basic Health & Safety awareness is essential

Responsibilities

• Provide a high standard of catering and general housekeeping in a mental health inpatient environment
• Maintain procedures in line with national cleanliness and food safety standards
• Ensure supplies are stocked and wards maintained, including stock rotation and safe storage
• Communicate menus and dietary needs with nursing staff and service users
• Monitor and input data for ordering of special diets and respond to queries about menus

Skills

Good interpersonal skills

Ability to work without immediatesuper

Education

Level 2 Certificate in Food Safety

Basic literacy and numeric skills

Job description

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Housekeeper

The closing date is 11 November 2026

4 x 5 hoursshifts over 7 days including bank holidays, with the current shift patterns as follows:

• 8.00am to 1.30pm (Early Shift)
• 8.00am to 1.30pm (Middle Shift)
• 12.30pm to 6.00pm (Late Shift)

The postholderwill be responsible for providing and maintaining high standards of cleanlinessand catering services across the Kendray site.

You will needto be passionate and enthusiastic about patient care in addition to having aflexible and adaptable approach to the duties.

Wedo not offer sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have the right to workin the UK without requiring Trust sponsorship.

Main duties of the job

Maintaining high standardsof cleaning in line with the National Standards of Cleanliness across all areasof the hospital.

Completing all relevantpaperwork; cleaning schedules, flushing sheets and food temperature checks inline with all policies and procedures.

Maintain a good level ofhealth and safety

Maintain adequate supplies of stock onthe wards by monitoring stock levels, ordering items as required, rotatingstock and safely storage of all stores on the wards.

Communicate with serviceusers with any daily meal and snack selections in addition to regeneration ofthe meals and serving the meals.

All employees of the Trust arestrongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staffand patients.

We are aware that an increasingnumber of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. Ifyou are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHSJobs application form.

About us

Weare a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental healthand learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale,Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and arethe lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission isto help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do thisby providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employstaff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make adifference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourageand welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we valuediversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Beinga foundation Trust means were accountable to ourmembers, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people(including staff) are members of our Trust.

Joinus and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improvingthe mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet andhelp each year.

Weare committedto safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people andvulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share thiscommitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

Providea high standard of catering and general housekeeping duties within a mentalhealth inpatient environment. Duties will be carried out in line with nationalstandards of cleanliness, infection prevention & control and food safety.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

• Provide a full meal and snack service tothe service users on the wards
• a.Receiveand store all food in accordance with set standards and Trust policy.
• b.Prepareand pack menu items for service users to the required standard, in line withthe Trusts Food Safety, HACCP and Health & Safety policies &procedures.
• c.Regenerate/prepareand serve meals and sundry items of food adhering to food distributiontimescales and in line with the Trusts Food Safety, HACCP and Health &Safety policies & procedures.
• d.Washall items, including all tableware used, following each meal service
• e.Ensurethe unit catering department is maintained to high standards of cleanliness atall times in line with the Trusts Food Safety, HACCP and Health & Safetypolicies & procedures.
• f.Communicatewith multidisciplinary teams (nursing staff, catering and dietitians) to ensureservice users receive special diets in accordance with nutritional requirements,allergy status and care plans.
• g.Collateand input data required for the ordering of special diets onto the cateringdepartment food sheets.
• h.Liaiseand communicate any menu changes and answer any queries relating to menuchanges with service users and nursing staff.
• i.Maintainaccurate records in relation to food storage and regeneration of food inaccordance with Trust policy.
• j.Preparefor meal times ensuring menus are displayed in accordance with set standards.
• Contribute to the safety, efficiency andgeneral tidiness of the whole unit environment
• a. Maintain adequate supplies of stock andad hoc items on the wards by monitoring stock levels, ordering items asrequired, rotating stock and safely storing items.
• b. Ensure bedrooms are preparedappropriately for admissions to the ward
• c. Support service users to keep their ownproperty safe and support individuals to use the laundry equipment as required.
• d.Reportany defective or damaged items, infestations or breakages and arrange for the removalof items as required in accordance with Trust Waste Disposal &Decontamination policies and procedures.
• e. Undertake routine and ad hocenvironmental and equipment checks and audits as required
• f. Maintain cleaning of items as per wardschedules
• g. Spot clean throughout the ward asrequired

General

• a. Maintain good working relationships andeffective communication with all colleagues, service users and visitors whilstdelivering the core duties of a housekeeping service.
• b. Adhere to Trust Policiesand Procedures at all times.
• c. Apply the code ofconfidentiality with regard to confidential information concerning serviceusers and their care, colleagues & visitors in order not to compromisetheir safety or well-being.
• d. Ensure that all relevantinformation obtained during the course of interactions with service users isshared with the nurse in charge of the ward area.
• e. Safeguard the health and wellbeingof children and vulnerable adults, by adhering to Trust safeguarding policiesand participating in relevant training.
• f. Adhere to the national NHS smoke free policy, which prohibits smoking anywhere on Trustgrounds
• g. Be asocially responsible employee by following measures that reduce or offset theTrusts environmental impact

Thisjob description is an outline of the main duties of the post. The post-holder will be required to undertakeother duties commensurate with the grade as directed.

Thecontent of this post will be reviewed in conjunction with the post-holder whennecessary, in line with service developments.

Trust Values:

The Trust iscommitted to ensuring the highest standards of care and treatment and expectsthat all staff treat people e.g,service users, their carers, relatives, friends, colleagues, visitors etc, withdignity and respect at all time.The post holder must at all times act in accordance with the Trusts Values:

• We put the person first and in the centre
• We know that families and carers matter
• We are respectful, honest, open and transparent
• We improve and aim to be outstanding
• We are relevant today and ready for tomorrow

Safeguarding:

Report any concernsregarding the safety or wellbeing of children, adults service users, members of their families etc, in accordancewith Trust Policy.

Prevent and respondappropriately to abuse and understand own role in this by undertakingSafeguarding training.

Trust policies and commitments to be read in line withthe relevant Trust Policy:

All staff employedby the Trust must comply with the Trusts policies and procedures, undertakeappropriate training required for their role and commit to:

• ensurethey are aware of the Whistleblowing Policy and how they raise concerns;
• maintainconfidentiality, in line with the Trusts Confidentiality Policy and Code ofConduct;
• understand their personal responsibilitieswith regards to data quality for any information which they create, use orprocess in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and TrustDataProtection Policy;
• comply with theprovisions of The Trusts Health and Safety Policy and Protocol. Ensuring theirown safety and that of colleagues, service users and visitors. Know the actionto be taken in the event of a fire and must undertake fire training annually;
• receive supervision inline with the Trusts Supervision Policy and an annual Appraisal in line withthe Trusts Appraisal Policy, during which mandatory, role specific andpersonal development needs should be identified and agreed;
• understand theirresponsibilities under the Trusts Equal Opportunities in Employment Policy andensure that they adhere to the provisions of the policy;
• recognise, respect andsupport the equality diversity of staff, colleagues, service users, carers andthe public. Contribute to a workingenvironment which promotes and responds positively to difference and diversity;
• ensure they carry outtheir duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young peopleunder the age of 18 years, as issued under Section 11 of The Children Act 2004,by being familiar with and adhering to Trust safeguarding policies and participating inrelevant training;
• comply with theirprofessional responsibilities to develop their practice and deliver carethrough a Clinical Governance framework (i.e. CPD, Audit, Supervision);
• demonstrate, throughpractice and practical understanding, the importance of the continualdevelopment of individual, team and service wide quality improvement;
• abide by relevantcodes of professional practice, with the organisation taking action when codesof conduct are breached;
• work flexibly to meetthe needs of the service/organisation, whilst working within a culture ofprogressive employment practices and commitment to the Investors in People(IiP) Standards.
• adhere to the Trusts smoke free policies, whichprohibits smoking anywhere on Trust grounds;
• being socially responsible by complying with measures that support theTrust in reducing or offsetting our environmental impact;
• Identify and report risks, hazards, incidents, accidents and near missespromptly;
• In addition to theTrusts own responsibilities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, Code ofPractice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance, foryour safety, ALL staff (and contractors) are responsible for ensuring theirwork adheres to this Code in the delivery of safe patient care.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

Person Specification

Training

• Commitment to undertaking relevant training commensurate to the job role.

Personal Attributes

• Smart appearance.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Flexible approach to working patterns, change and unpredictable environments.
• Caring, friendly attitude.
• Ability to deliver high standards of work at all times.

Physical Attributes

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post.
• A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).

Special Knowledge/Skills

• Good interpersonal skills. Able to communicate with service users, work colleagues and visitors in a courteous and sensitive manner.
• Ability to work without immediate supervision, being able to prioritise, and use own initiative.
• Basic Health & Safety awareness.

Qualifications

• Level 2 Certificate in Food Safety or willing to undertake and successfully complete within 12 months * (can be obtained through SWYPFT).
• Basic literacy and numeric skills.

Experience

• Previous experience of working in a demanding work environment.
• Previous experience of working in an industrial cleaning and/or catering environment.
• Experience within a customer care/or a patient focused 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.

Employer name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust