Laundry Assistant

Job description

Job responsibilities

Soil Linen Sorting: Empty tubs and cages of dirty linen onto conveyor system, or manually into washer barriers and stand-alone washers as required. Classify linen into linen bags or cages depending on category i.e. sheets, towels etc. Assign loads to rails for washer.

Washing Linen Select loads for washing using computerised system, when appropriate (monorail system to call off bags from rails). Free minor blockages. Load and unload by hand into washing machines linen including foul linen contained within alginate bags.

Cage Washer: Load Cages and laundry tubs into and out of the machine.

Tunnel Washer: Monitor computer to ensure correct chemicals, water and steam entering machine to ensure efficient washing of linen. Freeing of bags, resetting of monitors and freeing of blockages to ensure downtime kept to a minimum and efficiency of machines are kept to a maximum.

Calendars; Constant manual handling required at calendars i.e. emptying cages and tubs of pillowslips pulling sheets from belt etc. When necessary adjust calendar setting speeds to ensure production is maintained at the highest quality and production efficiency levels

Tunnel Finisher: Constant manual handling of articles to go through tunnel finishing system hanging items on hangers and assigning them to different sections for folding or clothing rails.

Towel Folding Machine: Constant manual handling to get items from tubs and load conveyor belt to place folded items onto cages. Attend to minor machine jams.

Manual dry fold area: Ensure that items are correctly folded packed and labelled for distribution to correct departments, hospitals or private customers.

All Areas; An awareness of good housekeeping in relation to cleanliness and safety of work area. Aware of cleaning duties including cleaning belts following body fluid spillages.

Communication: Immediate communication of any production problems, linen shortages, machine issues or any risks identified to the supervisor or management team. Shadow training new members of staff in line with work instructions and H&S guidelines

Planning & Organisational Skills: Prioritising own work to meet organisational needs and to meet customers delivery demands often at short notice with changes to priorities or following major breakdowns.

Making adjustment to machine settings which could impact on both production throughput and quality to meet production targets hourly/daily. Ability to understand and achieve production targets, reporting any issues as required.

Analytical and Judgmental Skills:Assign linen to all hospitals / private customers and departments; enter details into (computer system) ready for despatch by key deadline times ensuring service to customers is achieved. Awareness of despatch system ensuring linen is easily available to delivery drivers for pick up.

Physical Skills:Physical demands of tasks are constant, working in hot & cold environments (seasonal), standing, bending, lifting and twisting. Risk of exposure to infection or injury due to the nature of linen received and not correctly packed & identified at source e.g. contaminated sharps left in linen, foul/infected linen not correctly bagged, etc. Physically loading and unloading cages of clean & dirty work and feeding machines with linen. Linen can be heavy and tangled requiring physical effort to manage.

Ability to work quickly & efficiently to meet delivery deadlines and to work in all sections of the laundry. Concentration is required for the full shift to ensure ISO standards are upheld and when using moving machinery.

Any other task which is considered within the band of this post.

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about working at the Northern Care Alliance within the attached Candidate Information Pack or by visiting our careers website: careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

Person Specification

Qualifications

Desirable

• oNVQ Level 2 in a laundry or similar occupation
• oGCSE or equivalent in English & Math's.

Skills

Essential

• oTo be able to work as part of a large team also capable of working on own initiative with minimum Supervision.
• oMust be of general good health, fit and able to lift.
• oMust be able to work Bank Holidays and Weekend Rotas if required.

Desirable

• oHold a full clean UK driving license

Experience

Essential

• o Must have basic literacy & numeracy skills and a good level comprehension and be able to communicate at all levels.
• oWillingness to attend induction days i.e. Health and Safety, Lifting and Handling.

Desirable

• oExperience of ancillary or factory work.
• oLaundry / Domestic / mechanical work experience

Knowledge

Essential

• oWorking Knowledge of Health & Safety

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Address

OLDHAM

WESTHULME ST

OLDHAM

OL1 2JH

Employer's website

https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)