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Job summary

Main area
317 Catering - FH
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working 5 days out of 7, Working 2 Weekends out of 3. shift pattern are 6am to 2pm and 12pm to 8pm)
Job ref
317-2025-18-33-DR
Employer
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Freeman Hospital
Town
317 01 Freeman Hospital
Salary
£24,625 - £25,674 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
18/05/2025 23:59
Interview date
28/05/2025

Employer heading

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Assistant Head Cook

Band 3

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.

We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders. 

Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job overview

Previous Applicants Need Not Apply.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full time Assistant Head Cook to work as part of the catering team based at the Freeman Hospital, but also with the opportunity of working cross sites, in our different bases.

  • Interview Date: 28th May 2025
  • 37 hours 30 minutes /week
  • Enhanced rate of pay for working weekends and bank holidays.
  • You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

  • You will work on a three-week rota cycle working two weekends out of every three on early and late shifts, the early shifts will be from 6am to 2pm and late shifts from 12.00pm to 20.00pm also offered is an excellent weekend enhancement package to your pay.
  • Duties include preparation and cooking of hot & cold foods, the hygiene within the kitchen to include Temperature Controls of all products.
  • You will also be responsible for the staff on duty within the kitchen to ensure all meals are completed for the patient meal service to the standards required providing approximately 700 meals per service.
  • Knowledge and Experience with a broad range of cooking methods would be an advantage.
  • You must be qualified to City & Guilds 706/2 or NVQ Level 3 in Food Preparation and also have Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification or have the relevant experience in large scale catering. You must also provide proof of qualification or experience at the Interview.

Working for our organisation

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

         Freeman Hospital

         Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)

         Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)

         Newcastle Dental Hospital

         Newcastle Fertility Centre

         Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria

         Northern Genetics Service

         Cramlington Manor Walks

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. 

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • A working supervisory role with responsibilities for a food production/service shift with the emphasis on food hygiene and safety standards, quality control and supervisory management. 

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • City & Guilds 706/2 or NVQ 3 (food preparation) or Significant Experience
  • Basic Food Hygiene
Desirable criteria
  • Intermediate Food Hygiene Qualification
  • Previous experience in large scale catering
  • Knowledge of (HACCP) Principles Level 3 Supervisory Leadership or equivalent

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrate an understanding of managing Health & Safety and food hygiene principles
  • Working in a customer focused environment
  • Customer care

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Basic Information Technology skills to include Word and Excel
  • Ability to prioritise workload
  • Ability to record information accurately

Employer certification / accreditation badges

We are a Living Wage EmployerVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardRIDI Awards Finalist 2021Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall Gold 2022Better Health at Work Award - Maintaining ExcellenceDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldCycle Friendly Employer

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Iain Clarke
Job title
Deputy Trust Catering Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0191 9177400
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