Group Head of Catering - Band 8a

Job responsibilities

Ensure the successful management and delivery of high-quality Catering services (retail and patient catering) across the Trust.

Ensure the cleanliness and comfort of the Catering environments and ensure all patient associated activities are delivered ensuring safety and quality at all times.

Management of all external catering contracts, monitoring of these as well as internal services ensuring high standards of service delivery for all services.

Ensure the Trust is compliant and adhere with all Catering related aspects of CQC compliance essential standards catering and fabric.

Lead and support Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) to ensure continuous improvement in all aspects of the patient environment in relation to Catering

Approve Catering services business continuity plans as part of the Trusts review process maximising the opportunities for business continuity support across the Trust

Produce catering business cases to present to the Strategic Head of Facilities and Property Services to drive strategic and operational transformation.

To develop relationships with clinical teams whilst upholding the role of the Catering service and building confidence in the food services provided within the Trust.

To maintain and actively encourage links with external agencies such as Environmental Health to ensure compliance with current Food Safety Legislation.

To communicate on all matters relating to Catering, ensuring clear verbal and/or written communication, utilising team briefings, departmental meetings and 1:1s to ensure understanding.

Responsible for providing professional Catering advice and management support to external service users in line with service level agreements.

To liaise with user departments and carry out routine service reviews to monitor customer satisfaction and participate in external service audits/assessments e.g., PLACE.

Provide expert and specialist advice on the areas within your management control and respond to national and local directives, as appropriate.

To maintain contact with consumers by undertaking regular ward visits and ensure that a register of compliments and complaints is maintained, and action taken and recorded to rectify any issues identified.

To monitor the effectiveness of the patient food delivery service in conjunction with ward-based staff and highlight areas for improvement, taking corrective action as necessary.

Regularly monitor external service contracts and review/re-tender as necessary. Monitor the market environment and adjust service procurement strategy to achieve maximum sustainable benefits.

Develop and implement a continual review of services and contracts, preparing internal/external returns as required.

Support the Trust as appropriate in complying with all NHSE and legislative guidance and requirements including EU directives, statutory body requirements, hazard and safety notices and advice relating to patient, public or staff safety, personal privacy and confidentiality.

Develop the optimal level and location of Catering services to be provided in line with the Trusts overall strategy and comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act (and associated regulations) Food Safety Act (and subsequent regulations) CQC standards, Hospital Food Standards, PLACE and other relevant directives.

To ensure that sensible policies of standardisation and rationalisation are followed throughout the Trust within the constraints that exist, e.g., menu and price setting and equipment utilisation.

To challenge existing practices, ensuring that solutions taking into account best practice and changing healthcare.

To ensure that all Catering services are flexible to meet the nutritional and dietary requirements of all patients and to liaise with dieticians and clinical colleagues to plan patient menus to ensure they achieve the required nutritional standards.

To plan patient menus with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure compliance with CQUINN requirements regarding nutritional needs.

To ensure processes are in place to deploy staff effectively and meet service demands.

Ensure HACCP reviews are completed and available as required, in a well-structured and organised manner ensuring compliance with food safety legislation and that food hygiene ratings are maintained at the highest level.

To maintain an equipment asset register and advise on replacement programme for food service needs.

To communicate service change to staffing groups where there may be some resistance. Negotiating, influential and reasoning skills are required to deliver change to improve/modernise the department.

To undertake/organise six monthly/annual performance reviews with all Catering staff, ensuring objectives are set and PDPs are in place and to encourage staff with their own personal development.

To identify staff training needs and ensure on-the-job training and corrective coaching as appropriate and to evaluate the effectiveness of this training.

Previous Experience

Essential

• Evidence of servicing information requirements in a complex environment.
• Significant experience in a post requiring use of own initiative whilst working as part of a team.
• Experience of processes administrative
• Experience of working in the NHS or other large customer service environment/organisation.
• Experience of working to strict deadlines.
• Experienced in the use of Microsoft applications including database use.

Desirable

• Financial management
• People management leading a large team

Qualifications

Essential

• Food hygiene Level 4
• Education to degree level in relevant area eg catering, hospitality, food and beverage or to demonstrate equivalent experience.
• Post graduate knowledge through training and/or experience to masters equivalent level
• Management qualification or commit to work towards this within first 12 months.

Knowledge, skills, aptitudes

Essential

• Extensive IM&T Skills including Word, Excel, Access and e-mail.
• Evidence of good written presentation skills.
• Evidence of good verbal communication skills.
• Evidence of co-ordination and organisational skills.
• Highly numerate and able to analyse and interpret information.
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Able to analyse data, information and trends on complaints and present to a wide ranging audience.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Estates & Facilities databases eg ERIC/PEAT.
• Knowledge of performance management systems eg balanced scorecard.

Specific Requirements

Essential

• Ability to work flexibility whilst recognising deadlines must be met.
• Must remain calm under pressure.
• Flexible approach to working hours when workload demands.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to work as part of team.
• Problem solving skills - ability to focus on detail
• Analytical.
• Process orientated.

Desirable

• Committed to self-development and appraisal.
• Understanding of professionalism and confidentiality.

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).