Catering Assistant in Bury

Main area: Experience in large scale catering

Grade Band: 2

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part time - 20 hours per week (16:00 - 20:00)

Job ref: 236-NCA-EA083-26

Site: Fairfield General Hospital, Bury Town, Bury

Salary: £25,272 pro rata, per annum

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 01/06/2026 23:59

Job overview: An opportunity has arisen for a Catering Assistant to join us to assist in the plating up of patient’s meals, washing of all returning pots and trolleys, and general cleaning duties with the economical use of materials and equipment. You will also record all information requested by management. You will be able to work without supervision at the stated place of work, but may be asked to work at any of the Trust’s Kitchens.

Main duties of the job:

• The cleaning of premises and equipment to correct standards of cleanliness and frequencies laid down in the cleaning schedules and departmental hygiene policy.
• Operating and cleaning automatic dishwashers.
• The plating up of patient’s meals ready for distribution to wards.
• Temperature probing of meals and the accurate recording of temperatures in accordance with the departments HACCP procedure.
• Collection of patient’s daily food requirements.
• The taking of certain food items to the wards with the subsequent correct storage, rotation, and maintenance of minimum/maximum stock levels.
• It may be necessary to handle cash and to do so within the Trust’s policies and procedures.
• Completion of all appropriate documentation.

Working for our organisation: The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives. As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we’re always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire – to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: 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.

Person specification:

• Skills: Flexibility to work within various roles within the team.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Able to fulfil the physical requirements of the job.

Experience: Job experience within the food industry.

Qualifications: Level 2 food safety qualification.

Knowledge: Knowledge of HACCP Systems.

The NCA is proud to serve a diverse population and is committed to delivering inclusive, accessible care. We value individuality and aim to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Applications are welcomed from individuals of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs.

We also warmly welcome interest from serving and ex-personnel, and their relatives. Please identify that you are a member of the armed forces community on your application form to be entitled to a guaranteed interview (subject to essential criteria being met). As a Disability Confident Employer, guaranteed interviews are also available to disabled applicants when essential role requirements have been met.

Vacancies may close early if sufficient applications are received, or if an internal redeployee has been identified. For fixed-term roles, current NHS staff will be considered for secondments, while fixed-term contracts will be offered to external (non-NHS) applicants. The NCA does not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.