Housekeeper

Royal Marsden; Sutton; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in Sutton is seeking a Ward Housekeeper to join the busy unit serving children with cancer. You will coordinate ward facilities, maintain hygiene standards, and work with the cleaning team to deliver cleaning, catering and minor maintenance to meet patient needs.

You will liaise with contractors, monitor quality, and assist with training and records as required. The role requires teamwork, clear communication, resilience under pressure, and a proactive

Qualifications

• Basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• Recognised Food Hygiene certificate.
• Basic keyboard/PC skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate all patient facilities/services in the ward to ensure a clean, safe and comfortable environment.
• Deliver cleaning, catering and minor maintenance to meet patient needs as determined by the ward sister/charge nurse.
• Liaise with contractors and support services departments; monitor quality standards and rectify deficiencies.

Skills

Self motivated

Good communication

Organisational skills

Team player

Initiative

Education

Recognised Food Hygiene certificate

Basic literacy and numeracy skills

Basic keyboard/PC skills

Job description

Here on McElwain Ward at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, we are looking for a housekeeper to join our busy Unit treating children who have been diagnosed with Cancer. You would need to be enthusiastic, organized, and methodical in your approach to work. You would be responsible for ordering ward stores and equipment and maintaining stock levels of the same as well as ensuring high standards of hygiene throughout the ward in conjunction with our cleaning team. You would be able to work well within a team and perform well in stressful situations. This is an active role and the suitable candidate would be required to convey samples to the laboratory where they may also be responsible for collecting blood products for delivery to the ward. There are occasions when haste is essential and prioritizing workload is of the utmost importance.

Main duties of the job

The Ward Housekeeper will work as an integral part of the ward team. You will be responsible for the co-ordination of all patient facilities/services in the ward area and for ensuring a clean, safe and comfortable environment.

The main elements of this role are ensuring the delivery of cleaning, catering and minor maintenance, together with other specified tasks to meet individual patient needs, as determined by the ward sister/charge nurse. The postholder will be required to work closely with contractors and support services departments. You will monitor quality standards and rectify deficiencies.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification:

• To receive, welcome and guide visitors on arrival to the ward, liaising with other staff as appropriate.
• To maintain and update paper-based records and information as required, e.g. menus, requisition books.
• To respond to requests for general information.
• To receive and pass on information to others, maintaining confidentiality.
• To handle complaints and take appropriate action.
• To assist with training of staff involved with ward housekeeping services, ensuring required standards are achieved.
• To maintain awareness of changes to relevant health and safety regulations, e.g. food hygiene, waste disposal standards etc.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

• Basic literacy and numeracy skills
• Recognised Food Hygiene certificate
• Basic keyboard/PC skills

Experience

• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience of working under minimal supervision
• Experience of working in a hospital environment

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Self motivated
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal
• Evidence of commitment to patient centred care
• Evidence of good organisational skills
• Ability to use own initiative

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.