Chef - Rye Hospital

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Main area Chef Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract Permanent: cross site working as required Hours Part time - 15 hours per week Job ref 374-CG5626

Site Rye Memorial Town Rye Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 06/11/2026 23:59

We are proud to provide ‘Outstanding’ care and be a great place to work.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.

We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £700 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.

Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people’s own homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated ‘Outstanding’ and Eastbourne DGH was rated ‘Good’ Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.

Job overview

We are seeking a qualified Chef to join the Rye Hospital Catering Team and support other ESHT sites as required.
This is a varied role that requires the ability to work independently. Key responsibilities include:

• Preparing, cooking, and serving meals for patients and staff at Rye Memorial Hospital, including accommodating special dietary requirements.
• Maintaining high hygiene standards through regular cleaning and compliance with food safety protocols.
• Managing stock by placing orders for provisions and cleaning chemicals with approved suppliers.

If you are passionate about delivering quality meals and maintaining exceptional standards, we’d love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Prepare, cook, and serve meals for patients at Rye Memorial Hospital and other sites as required, including meeting special dietary needs.
• Order provisions and cleaning chemicals from Trust-authorised suppliers.
• Liaise with ward staff, patients, and delivery teams as necessary.
• Maintain exceptional hygiene standards within all kitchen areas.

For full details, please refer to the job description.

Working for our organisation

A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.

In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.

There has never been a better time to join East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

Statement on the Use of AI

We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.

Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.

We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description.

For any further questions or queries, please contact the appointing manager.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Evidence of basic standard of education
• City & Guilds 7061/7062 or equivalent qualifications
• Basic Food Hygiene Certificate

Experience

• Evidence of career path in a similar Role

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• Knowledge of HACCP
• Good organisational skills
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to work on own initiative and at times unsupervised
• Knowledge of special diets

Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our vision is to be:

• The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.

Our mission is to:

• Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
• Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients’ experiences.
• Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.

Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:

• Safe
• Effective
• Caring
• Responsive and
• Well led

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications.

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