Catering Service Operative - CPU

Main area: Catering

Grade: Band 2

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (shifts worked 5 days over 7 including weekends and Bank Holidays)

Employer: York Teaching Hospital Facilities Management

Employer type: NHS

Site: York Teaching Hospital

Town: York

Salary: £25,272 per annum

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 29/07/

Our Values:

• We are KIND
• We are OPEN
• We pursue EXCELLENCE

We are looking for applications from people who share our values to help make us a valued and trusted partner within our care system, that delivers safe effective care to our local population.

Job overview:

Are you a strong team player, friendly and motivated? Then we may have the role for you! York Hospital Catering Department requires enthusiastic Catering Operatives to join our team. You must be able to use initiative, be self‑motivated and have strong interpersonal and organisational/time management skills. Applicants must be able to work under pressure, prioritise their own workload and be able to carry out physical tasks.

Main duties of the job:

• Ensure that the food is of the correct quality, quantity, temperature and date.
• The preparation, packaging and labelling of food items for the relevant food service areas.
• Perform an effective and courteous food service for patients, staff and visitors, following temperature and portion control protocols.
• Replenish food storage areas and food display counters to ensure continuity of supply.
• Ensure condiments are available to complement dishes on the menu.
• Communicate with colleagues, patients and visitors on food and drink requirements for dietary, allergy, ethical and cultural requirements.
• Check and monitor food temperatures according to departmental procedures, including deliveries, fridges, freezers, hot and chilled display units.
• Transport food safely and efficiently to the relevant food service locations prior to service.
• The cleaning of kitchen equipment following departmental cleaning schedules.
• Clean associated catering areas with commercial equipment (e.g. floor scrubbers, steam cleaners and wet suction machines).
• Wash pans, utensils and light equipment using commercial pan washers or dish washers.

The post holder may be required to undertake additional duties as appropriate. The ideal candidate will have catering experience, be fantastic with customers, a good team player and able to work on their own unsupervised. Enhanced rates apply when working at the weekend.

Working for our organisation:

We offer a range of benefits to support our staff, including:

• Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants.
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on the NHS Trust service).
• A generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support relocation expenses for hard‑to‑fill positions where relocation would be expected.
• A variety of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave.
• Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme.
• NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme.
• An extensive range of learning and development opportunities.
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance from a range of providers.

For further information on the benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.

Person specification:

Education, Qualifications and Training:

• Good basic education which includes reading and writing plus basic numeric skills.
• Basic understanding or willingness to complete appropriate qualifications and training, including Food Hygiene Level 2.
• BICSc Qualification/NVQ Level 2 in cleaning/catering or equivalent.

Experience & Knowledge Required:

• Ability to read, write and converse in English.
• Flexible approach to work.
• Previous experience of working in the NHS.
• Ability to use small and large pieces of equipment such as regeneration ovens, dishwashers, floor machinery.

DBS Checks:

Please be aware that all new employees starting work with us will be charged for the cost of their DBS check if it is required for the role. The cost will be deducted from your salary either in one payment or over a six‑month period once you start employment.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Selection processes are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

Agile and Flexible Working:

We are committed to helping all staff balance their work with other commitments and have recently launched our new Agile and Flexible Working policy to support this, entitling all staff to request flexible working from day one – for all posts.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP):

All employees have access to a free, confidential counselling and wellbeing support service, available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Relocation Package:

The YTHFM offers a generous relocation package of up to 30% of salary (capped at £18k) to support relocation expenses for hard‑to‑fill positions where relocation would be expected.

More about us and the surrounding area:

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated in a fantastic part of the country that is home to two national parks, a beautiful coastline, and the city of York – consistently voted one of the best places to live in the UK.