About this role
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Ward Catering Assistant to join our Team
Hours Available are - 1 x 30 hours 12 month fixed term contract
The ideal candidate will have a "Can do attitude" flexible and will be a team player who has experience working in a busy kitchen environment.
The ideal candidate should have good customer care skills and experience of working in a kitchen/coffee shop/restaurant.
Food Safety level 2 certificate would be an advantage.
Candidates will be required to cover annual leave and absences if required to maintain a high standard of service.
30 hours over 3 day supporting Patients Nutrition & Hydration delivering a 5* patient experience.
Main duties of the job
As a Ward Catering Assistant, you will assist our ward teams improve patients experience whilst they are in hospital, supporting the front-line delivery of inpatient meal service to maintain standards for nutrition and hydration, reducing food waste and maximising efficiency.
You will be expected to provide a professional patient focused meal service ensuring hygiene and patient safety standards are maintained.
In addition, the Trust are committed to provide a excellent, essential patient care, supporting patients to receive optimal levels of nutritional and hydration during their episode of care by providing the right food for the right patient at the right time at each meal service.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description Job responsibilities
Maintain all operational procedures Enforce compliance with Waste Management Policy to meet the changing requirements as segregation requirements increase To comply with Hygiene and Food Safety Legislation Ensure compliance with Facilities Management standards Ensure compliance with HACCP Ensure effective delivery of services to service users and customers Maintain and improve all aspects of the service Participate in staff involvement groups for all aspects of the Trust Quality Strategy 2012/15 Observe legal requirements Responsible for the safe use of all equipment Ensure compliance and operational observance of safe working practices as detailed in all aspects of risk management Ensure all appropriate hygiene monitoring is carried out and recorded for every process Ensure compliance with national standards of cleanliness TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES
To attend training courses as required and participate in annual refresher sessions in accordance with own Personal Development Review LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Provide guidance and a knowledge base for new and existing staff FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To ensure economical use of all Trust resources Maintain and monitor stock levels to meet the demands of the service Distribute and maintain economic and effective use of chemicals and products Monitor and record food wastage
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Food Safety Level 2 Basic Numeracy Basic Computer Skills
Desirable
HACCP Training ECDL or equivalent
Knowledge Essential
Large scale food production Team working
Desirable
NHS Experience
Skills Essential
Customer Care Skills Ability to work under pressure Provision of a patient/customer focussed service Principles of Risk Management Communication Ability to instruct other less qualified staff or students
Desirable
Cash handling abilities/use of cash registers
Other Essential
Physically demanding role Pushing and pulling trolleys/cages Varied deadlines and adhoc pressures Dealing with staff/customer issues Exposure to temperature variations Professional and hygiene awareness/appearance Varied shifts
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 Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address Southport Hospital
Town Lane
Merseyside
PR8 6PN
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)