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Job summary

Main area
Catering
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 2
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Variable)
Job ref
435-1LSC-LTH14-26
Employer
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Preston/ Chorley District Hospital
Town
Preston
Salary
£25,272 Per anumn
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/06/2026 23:59

Employer heading

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Chef Assistant

NHS AfC: Band 2

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care.  We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Job overview

Please note that this post is Part of One LSC – a corporate collaboration hosted by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and providing Estates and Facilities Services to Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Our team is just that – a team – all supporting each other and working together to achieve the best outcomes, and we are really proud of this. We cannot wait to welcome you to the team when you start, and will have experienced Catering Staff to help you along the way.

This is a  challenging but rewarding job role and there’s no doubt that will need a motivated, enthusiastic team player, who is willing to work hard within a strong team, to provide a KEY service within the hospital for both staff and patients.

Main duties of the job

Your day to day role will assist with all associated duties connected with the preparation and delivery of staff and patient meal services. You will assist our chefs with food production for all areas  including wards, dining rooms and satellite venues. It goes without saying that you will be required to adhere to departmental standards and food hygiene regulations. You will also act at all times in a manner that upholds the Trust’s values, working as part of a team to ensure efficiency and excellent customer care.

Working for our organisation

We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients.  Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.

Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.

You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done.  You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path. 

You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Chef Assistants job is demanding yet fulfilling, to get the most out of it you will need to be able to do the following: 

  • Communicate effectively with colleagues to ensure an accurate exchange of information about catering tasks and service needs
  • Communicate with a range of customers in person and over the telephone to understand individual needs and provide information relating to the catering service 
  • Undertake all duties relating to food service, including:-  
    • preparing food service areas and equipment
    • serving food and drinks at hospitality events held on Trust premises and occasionally in other locations
    • delivering and collecting meal trolleys to/from wards and departments
    • clearing and tidying up after any catering operation
  • Prepare simple food items using appropriate food preparation equipment, including:

    • washing, cutting and weighing of ingredients
    • cooking simple food and snacks
    • storage of food item
  • Undertake cleaning either manually or using mechanical equipment provided e.g. cleaning of areas, washing of crockery, cutlery and utensils
  • Report any defective equipment or health and safety hazards to immediate supervisor

  • Proactively support the continued development of the catering service
  • Maintain and develop own competence 

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous experience in the Catering Industry
  • Previous experience in dealing with the public
  • Awareness of the standards of hygiene and cleanliness within a healthcare setting
  • Food Hygiene Level 2
Desirable criteria
  • Good general education to GCSE standard
  • Food Hygiene Level 3
  • HACCP Level 2

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident committedStep into healthHappy to Talk Flexible Working

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Neal Cropper
Job title
Catering Production Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07354168613
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