Patient Catering Manager in London

OCS UK & Ireland is a leading facilities management company with 50,000+ colleagues and a turnover in excess of £2bn. We deliver innovative, award-winning services within facilities management, hard services, cleaning, security and catering. Our mission is to make people and places the best they can be for our colleagues, customers and the communities we serve. Our commitment to doing business the right way is rooted in our TRUE values - Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment.

Why Work for OCS?

• Award-Winning Employer: Ranked 36th on Glassdoor’s Best Companies to Work For 2025 — we value and motivate our people.
• Digital Learning: The OCS Academy offers digital courses and resources to help you build skills and grow your career.
• Retail Perks: With our Hapi app, you can gain access to exclusive discounts, rewards and wellbeing resources.
• Professional Growth: 600+ live learners across UK&I — Empowering colleagues with further development and qualifications!
• Flexible Pay: Access a portion of earned wages before payday with our Wagestream App! (Contract Specific)

About The Role:

Days of Working: This position will be based at John Howard Centre, E9, working Monday to Friday office hours with some flexibility. Weekend availability is required. A role where food directly impacts patient care. We’re looking for an experienced Patient Catering Manager to lead catering services across a portfolio of mental health sites. This role goes beyond traditional catering, you’ll play a vital part in supporting patient recovery, experience, and nutrition through high-quality, compliant meal services. If you have a background in NHS or healthcare catering, understand PLACE inspections, and are passionate about delivering patient-focused services, we’d love to hear from you.

As part of your role, your key responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• You’ll lead and coordinate catering operations across multiple sites, ensuring services are safe, compliant, and truly patient-centred.
• Oversee patient catering delivery across mental health sites.
• Ensure compliance with NHS standards, food safety, and audit requirements.
• Prepare sites for PLACE inspections and drive continuous improvement.
• Work closely with dietitians and clinical teams to meet patient nutritional needs.
• Lead and develop catering teams, maintaining high standards of food quality and service.
• Manage budgets, food costs, and resource planning.
• Support the delivery of sustainable menus, including plant-based and low-carbon options.
• Act as a key link between operations, clinical stakeholders, and the client.

The ideal candidate should meet the following criteria:

• Right to Work in the UK and willingness to undergo a DBS check.
• Experience in patient catering within NHS or healthcare settings.
• Strong knowledge of PLACE inspections and audit standards.
• Understanding of therapeutic diets, patient needs, and ward service delivery.
• Experience managing teams in a regulated environment.
• Confidence managing budgets, stock, and cost control.
• Strong stakeholder skills, able to work with clinicians, dietitians, and senior managers.
• Passion for delivering high-quality, inclusive, and sustainable catering services.

Desirable:

• Multi-site experience.
• Mental health or specialist healthcare experience.
• Knowledge of sustainable catering/NHS net zero initiatives.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in joining a business that encourages professional development, career progression and the chance to work with inspirational people then please click apply and register your interest! You can also sign up to our job alerts when registering which will notify you when other suitable vacancies are available.

We are an equal opportunities employer and rely on a diverse workforce with a broad range of knowledge, skills, and backgrounds to deliver our goals. We offer an inclusive and welcoming environment and actively encourage applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age.