COOK

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Continual maintenance of kitchen and equipment hygiene and completion of cleaning schedules.

• Prepare and serve food for sale in the café. Maintain food displays which are appetising and to a high standard.

• Prepare and serve suitable, appetising and nutritious meals after discussion with each patient, liaising with nurses, carers and dieticians to ensure patient needs are met.

• Exercise care and economy in the use of provisions, property and equipment.

• Delegation of duties to Catering Assistants and volunteers assisting in the kitchen and café areas, appropriate to their training, with the assistance from the Head Chef/Senior Cook.

• Preparation of food for blast chilling, and storage in fridges and freezers.

• To assist the Head Chef/Senior Cook to maintain inventories of food items and a visual check on storeroom stocks, making lists of food to be ordered.

• To assist with the receipt and storage of deliveries of food items, exercising due diligence from receipt to storage.

• To prepare and cook all foodstuffs, and prepare refreshments as may be requested via the hospitality booking system.

• Assist the Head Chef/Senior Cook to ensure all risks are assessed within the kitchen area and adequate preventative measures to minimise accidents, are taken.

• Report to the Head Chef/Senior Cook all faults, breakdowns or other repairs required to equipment.

• Liaise with Maintenance Staff to ensure external bin areas are maintained and kept clean and tidy.

• Maintenance of appropriate administrative work, to perform duties and so to comply with food legislation and Environmental Health and Care Quality Commission inspections.

• Carry out daily duties for vending equipment, to ensure, hospice services remain operational 24/7.

• Assist the Head Chef/Senior Cook in achieving the objectives laid down in the quarterly planner.

• Use of a till to record sales of food in the café.

• Ensure that the café seating area is kept clean and tidy throughout the day, providing a warm and welcoming environment to those using the area.

• Ensure that the kitchen and cafe area are secured and safe at the end of each shift.

• Liaise with the Head Chef/Senior Cook to discuss café food sales and understand marketing plan.

• Sweeping and mopping of kitchen floors and, in addition, café seating area at off-site premises

General Requirements

To carry out all catering duties following HACCP principles, having due regard to changes in legislation as they occur.

To comply with the all Hospice policies.

To carry out food preparation with due regard to allergen guidance and legislation.

You are required on an annual basis to attend and comply with the mandatory training requirements, plus any other training as deemed appropriate.

To attend training courses as deemed necessary to perform the role of Cook.

Report illness to the Head Chef/Senior Cook.

This post is subject to the Terms and Conditions of employment of the Hospice as specified in the staff handbook

Competence You are responsible for limiting your actions to those that you feel competent to undertake. If you have any doubts about your competence during the course of your duties, you should immediately speak to your line manager/supervisor.

Risk Management

It is a standard element of the role and responsibility of all staff of the Hospice that they fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards. It is a requirement that you adhere to Willowbrook Hospice Policies, Procedures, Protocols and guidelines at all times.

Health and Safety Requirements of the Hospice

All employees of the Hospice have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Employees are required to co-operate with management to enable the Hospice to meet its own legal duties including attendance at mandatory training updates and also to report any hazardous situations or defective equipment.

Data Protection and Confidentiality

The post holder must treat all information, whether corporate, staff or patient information, in a discreet, secure and confidential manner in accordance with the provisions of the current data protection legislation and organisational policy. Any breach of such confidentiality is considered a serious disciplinary offence, which is liable to dismissal and / or prosecution under statutory legislation and the hospice’s disciplinary policy. This duty of confidence continues after the post holder leaves the organisation.

Records Management

As an employee of the hospice, the post holder is legally responsible for all records that they gather, create or use as part of their work within the organisation (including patient health, staff health or injury, financial, personal and administrative), whether paper based or on computer. The post holder should consult the IG Lead if they have any doubt as to the correct management of records with which they work.

Flexibility Statement

The content of this Job Description represents an outline of the post only and is therefore not a final list of duties and responsibilities. The Job Description is therefore intended to be flexible and is subject to review and amendment in the light of changing circumstances, following consultation with the post holder.

The post is subject to an enhanced disclosure check with the Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS).

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised catering qualification
• (e.g. NVQ Level 2 or equivalent)
• Previous catering experience with proven ability to cook from raw ingredients
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
• HACCP Training Certificate
• Allergens Training Certificate

Desirable

• First Aid Certificate
• Previous experience of meal planning
• Healthcare catering experience
• Hospitality qualification
• Retail catering experience

Experience

Essential

• Sensitive to needs of patients/carers and service
• Ability to adapt to meet the needs of patients nutritional requirements

Desirable

• Understanding of volunteer workforce
• Willingness to undertake further training

Circumstances

Essential

• Flexibility of duties/hours to meet to needs of services required
• Ability to work weekends and Bank Holidays

Desirable

• Understanding of volunteer workforce
• Willingness to undertake further training

MOTIVATION and DISPOSITION

Essential

• Self-motivated/able to work as part of a team
• Calm
• Organised
• Creative
• Flair
• Have a can do attitude

Desirable

• N/A

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).