Chef

Main area Catering Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working shifts between 6am-11pm) Job ref 426-449-26TW

Site The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn Town King's Lynn Salary £25,760 - £27,476 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Chef to join team QEH .

As part of the Catering Team you will be cooking meals for staff and patients through the day and night in all aspects of food preparation and cooking following Food Hygiene Guidelines .

You will have previous experience managing your own time and resources and experience of working within a team . Catering and Hygiene Qualifications required for this post.

Main duties of the job

An opportunity has become available within the Catering department for a Chef.

We are looking to recruit a Proactive Chef to cook and provide a wide variety of meals, including ethnic and allergen free meals to a high standard; working cost effectively to meet the standards, policies and objectives of the department.

You will work safely and in a hygienic environment and assist and support Line Managers, the Head Chef, the Catering Manager and other teams as directed and required.

If this role appeals to you, and fits your profile, we would love to hear from you.

Working for our organisation

There’s never been a more exciting time to join TeamQEH. We’re working on a once in a generation opportunity to build a new state-of-the-art hospital to open and we are also carrying out on one of the biggest pieces of digital transformation work we’ve ever undertaken. Our new electronic patient record (EPR) will replace paper-based patient records from 2026 and will lead to better, safer, joined-up care at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and beyond. At The QEH we provide a comprehensive range of specialist, acute, obstetrics and community-based services to around 331,000 people across west and north Norfolk, North Cambs and South Lincs. We are an ambitious organisation that upholds our values of kindness, wellness and fairness. We strive for continuous quality improvement, recently demonstrated in our 2024 CQC maternity inspection rating our services as ‘Good’, and we are proud to be a place to learn and grow through recognised learning and apprenticeships. We recognise and reward our 4,000 staff and volunteers, priding ourselves on a community atmosphere and positive team spirit. We have approx. 530 beds across 33 wards and have newly built education and training facilities, a range of modern award-winning centres alongside a talented team of people ready to give you a warm welcome. We love working here and think you will too.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Level 2 Food Hygiene




• Allergen Training City & Guild 706 1&2 or NVQ (professional Cookery) equivalent




• Level 3 Hygiene




• Level 3 HACCP

Skills, abilities, and knowledge

• Knowledge of HACCP




• Knowledge of Allergens




• Knowledge of IDDSI Descriptors




• Able to use initiative, make decisions and be a motivated team player




• Ability to develop new skills

Applications are welcome from anyone who meets the criteria specified in the person specification regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, belief, sexual orientation or other personal circumstances. Only those applicants who demonstrate in the application form how they meet the criteria in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications and experience, but we also recruit individuals who possess and can demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our core values (attached).

By applying for this post, you are agreeing to the transfer of information in the application form to Trac jobs & if you are offered a job your personal information will be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records (ESR) system. Please check your email account including your junk folder, regularly for communication regarding this vacancy.

We offer our staff a wide range of benefits and support including:

• Flexible working opportunities




• Free counselling service




• Access to Stream - an app-based service that provides instant earned wage access*




• Support and advice for staff affected by either Perimenopause or Menopause




• Opportunity to join our Staff Networks which include Armed Forces, REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Culture Heritage), Disability and LGBTQ+ networks.

We are committed to being a menopause friendly employer.

Please note due to high volume of applications for some posts, this post may close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role asap.

Certificates of Sponsorship / Visa and Immigration

Although the salary for Band 3+posts is expected to meet the applicable UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) salary threshold from December 2026 and may therefore be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, (subject to the immigration rules in force at the time of application) applicants are responsible for checking their own eligibility against the relevant immigration requirements. The availability of sponsorship and any visa application remain subject to UKVI rules and approval. If you are not eligible, any offer of employment already made may be withdrawn.

Please note that all Nursing and Healthcare Assistant (HCA) vacancies require a face-to-face interview.

If you require sponsorship to work in this role including where you are currently sponsored, and wish to change employer, please review the Skilled Worker visa eligibility criteria before applying. Further information is available on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Applications

We encourage applicants to ensure that applications accurately reflect their own skills, experience, achievements and motivations. While AI and other digital tools can support drafting and proofreading, applications should be written in a way that genuinely represents the individual applicant.

During our assessment process, we are looking to understand your personal knowledge, experience and suitability for the role. Applications that relyon AI-generated content may not provide an accurate reflection of your capabilities and could make it more difficult for us to assess your suitability fairly or accurately during the interview process.

We encourage candidates to take the time to prepare accurate applications using their own examples and experiences, enabling a fair and transparent recruitment process for all applicants.

Important Notice for Applicants

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safe and fair recruitment practices. We do not charge any fees for applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or offers of employment. All vacancies are advertised through our official recruitment channels and all recruitment communications will come from authorised Trust representatives using official contact details. If you are asked to make a payment, provide banking information, or have concerns about the authenticity of a recruitment communication, please contact our Recruitment Team for verification before taking any action.

For Overseas Applicants

Please be aware that fraudulent organisations and individuals sometimes falsely claim to represent NHS employers. The Trust will never request payment for employment opportunities, Certificates of Sponsorship, recruitment administration, or visa support. Applicants should only rely on information published on the Trust's official website and recruitment systems.

The Trust reserves the right to review applications from former employees and may take previous employment history into account as part of the selection process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.