Ward Host

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job summary

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting for Ward Host roles at St Mary's Community Health Campus (Portsmouth). The posts are permanent, part-time to cover shifts across a varied schedule, with two positions: 22.5 hours and 20 hours per week.

Applicants should have a caring approach and enjoy working with patients and staff. Roles involve taking meal orders, serving meals, accommodating dietary needs, and liaising with nursing and catering teams to ensure a safe,

Qualifications

• Demonstrates a caring approach.
• Ability to follow instructions and use initiative.
• Ability to work as part of a close knit team.
• Self-motivated.
• Literate and numerate in maths and English.
• Flexible and adaptable at work.
• Basic computer skills.
• Good communication with all levels of staff and patients.

Responsibilities

• To ensure that a high standard of customer care is maintained at all times.
• Liaise on a daily basis with the patients regarding meal preferences and appetite, taking into account any cultural and religious choices.
• Discuss with the nursing staff patients' treatment plans in order to determine their effect on individual appetite / dietary requirements.
• Communicate daily with the catering staff regarding meal requests and in the absence of the catering team leader /supervisor, meet with the catering manager to plan meal requirements.
• Serve beverages and meals, ensuring patients are assisted with positioning of their meal and access to cutlery and condiments.
• Liaise with the catering department regarding new patients' menus and dietary requests.
• Manage snacks for patients, including snacks required off the ward e.g. for patients attending appointments at a different location, ensuring the snack is appropriate to the patient's needs (soft, pureed, diabetic etc.).
• Where appropriate and under the guidance of nursing staff, provide a system that enables each patient to have access to fresh water.
• Manage food stores appropriately, ensuring a range of drinks are available to offer patients during the 24 hour period, including out of hours food items for patients missing their meal for any reason.
• Under the supervision of hostess team leader /supervisor, complete daily documentation.
• Assist patients to complete menu cards and provide explanations regarding choice.

Skills

Caring

Communication

Teamwork

Flexibility

Basic computer skills

Literacy & Numeracy

Job description

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Ward Host

The closing date is 18 October 2026

Our Catering Service is responsible for delivering nutritious, safe, and high-quality meals to patients, staff, and visitors across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust sites.

As a Ward Host, you will work closely with nursing teams to provide an excellent dining experience for patients. You will take meal orders, serve meals and drinks, support patients with their dietary, cultural and religious requirements, and ensure ward dining areas are clean, safe and welcoming.

We are currently recruiting for two Ward Host opportunities:

Flexible Ward Host - 22.5 hours per week Working across Summerlee Unit at Harry Sotnick House, St Mary's Community Health Campus, The Orchards and The Limes. Shifts will be allocated as required on any day of the week between 6:30am and 6:30pm to cover roster gaps.

Ward Host - 20 hours per week Based At Summerlee Unit, Harry Sotnick House, working a fixed shift pattern of Thursday to Monday, 2:30pm to 6:30pm.

We are looking for reliable, caring and customer-focused individuals who enjoy working as part of a team and are committed to meeting the needs of our patients.

Please note: The Trust is unable to offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Main duties of the job

• To ensure that a high standard of customer care is maintained at all times.
• Liaise on a daily basis with the patients regarding meal preferences and appetite, taking into account any cultural and religious choices.
• Discuss with the nursing staff patients' treatment plans in order to determine their effect on individual appetite / dietary requirements.
• Communicate daily with the catering staff regarding meal requests and in the absence of the catering team leader /supervisor, meet with the catering manager to plan meal requirements.
• Serve beverages and meals, ensuring patients are assisted with positioning of their meal and access to cutlery and condiments.
• Liaise with the catering department regarding new patients' menus and dietary requests.
• Manage snacks for patients, including snacks required off the ward e.g. for patients attending appointments at a different location, ensuring the snack is appropriate to the patient's needs (soft, pureed, diabetic etc.).
• Where appropriate and under the guidance of nursing staff, provide a system that enables each patient to have access to fresh water.
• Manage food stores appropriately, ensuring a range of drinks are available to offer patients during the 24 hour period, including out of hours food items for patients missing their meal for any reason.
• Under the supervision of hostess team leader /supervisor, complete daily documentation.
• Assist patients to complete menu cards and provide explanations regarding choice.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Additional Criteria

• Demonstrates a caring approach.
• Ability to follow instructions and use initiative within sphere of responsibility.
• Ability to work as part of a close knit team.
• Self-Motivated.
• Literate and Numerate in Maths and English.
• Being flexible and adaptable at work in order to meet competing priorities.
• Basic computer skills.
• Good communication skill with all levels of staff and patients

Experience

• Working alone and within a team
• Experience of working in a constantly changing environment
• Previous catering, host or housekeeping experience.
• Caring for people with a range of healthcare needs

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

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St.Mary's Community Health Campus (Portsmouth)

£25,272 to £25,272 a yearBased on full time hours

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

348-FME-12615

Job locations

St.Mary's Community Health Campus (Portsmouth)