Job summary
We are recruiting for a Chef who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients .
You would prepare, cook and serve food for patients, staff, visitors and public and cater for ad-hoc functions as required. You normally work in one section with a planned programme of movement for experience in all other areas. The sections in operation are Pastry, Hot main, Veg, Salad/Deli bar and Diets.
The catering department feeds approximately 730 patients 3 times a day, 7 days a week. All food is cooked fresh on site. In addition, we have a busy staff restaurant, Wellbeing Hub and a Coffee shop on site. The hospital has a number of vending machines that are fully serviced by catering staff.
Our Values are Include, Respect and Improve. It is important that you understand and refer to our values during your recruitment process and beyond!
Main duties of the job
Prepare, cook and serve food for patients, staff and visitors to the hospital.
Follow standard recipes.
Ensure food is of the specified quality, nutritional standard and in the quantities laid down.
Effectively maintain quality, time and temperature standards, keeping records as appropriate.
Effective hygiene and cleaning of appropriate equipment, workstations and areas.
Compliance with Catering Procedures to maintain and improve operational standards.
Comply with food hygiene legislation and food safety regulations, including the catering procedures for personal hygiene.
Be familiar with appropriate Hygiene, Health and Safety regulations, including the catering procedures for personal hygiene.
About us
At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
- The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
- New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
- Hertford County, Hertford
- Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification information pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification information pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Training
Essential
- NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation and cooking or equivalent, or documented proof of experience
- Basic food hygiene
Desirable
- Intermediate food hygiene certificate
- First Aid Certificate
Previous Experience
Essential
- Previous work in a kitchen environment
- Working as part of a team
Desirable
- Previous work in a hospital catering environment
- Preparation of meals for patients with special diets
- Previous large scale catering experience
Skills
Essential
- Good command of the English language
- Good personal organisational skills
- Food preparation skills
- Ability to work with deadlines
- Ability to follow standard recipes
- Ability to handle stressful situations
Desirable
- Prioritise daily work tasks
- Work unsupervised
Knowledge
Essential
- Understand current catering methods
- Have a keen interest in developing self and others
Desirable
- Advanced knowledge of different cooking methods
Other Requirements
Essential
- Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
- Role model our Trust values every day
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Training
Essential
- NVQ Level 2 in Food Preparation and cooking or equivalent, or documented proof of experience
- Basic food hygiene
Desirable
- Intermediate food hygiene certificate
- First Aid Certificate
Previous Experience
Essential
- Previous work in a kitchen environment
- Working as part of a team
Desirable
- Previous work in a hospital catering environment
- Preparation of meals for patients with special diets
- Previous large scale catering experience
Skills
Essential
- Good command of the English language
- Good personal organisational skills
- Food preparation skills
- Ability to work with deadlines
- Ability to follow standard recipes
- Ability to handle stressful situations
Desirable
- Prioritise daily work tasks
- Work unsupervised
Knowledge
Essential
- Understand current catering methods
- Have a keen interest in developing self and others
Desirable
- Advanced knowledge of different cooking methods
Other Requirements
Essential
- Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion
- Role model our Trust values every day
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
