Catering Assistant

Catering Assistant

Closing date: 28 April 2026.

Responsibilities

• General cleaning of all areas, working according to rota and daily schedules, ensuring high standards of personal hygiene.
• Assist in other areas of the department as required by service needs.
• Maintain high standards of food safety legislation at all times, including HACCP record keeping.
• General cleaning of work preparation areas, food trolleys, corridors, fridges, freezers, equipment and other items, ensuring removal of contamination and allergens.
• Follow duties for specific shifts such as cleaning food trolleys, pot washing, serving meals, and waste removal, ensuring correct separation to waste streams.
• Follow personal safety requirements: clean nails, fresh uniform worn daily, neat tidy hair, no jewellery.
• Assist chefs in the preparation and production of food items, serve and distribute items, and aid customers or team members as needed.
• Ensure record keeping is up to date and compliant with legislation, for example delivery temperatures, food service temperatures, and wastage records; report discrepancies so corrective action can be taken.
• Accept, check and put away deliveries correctly, following stock rotation principles and replenishing fridges and display units.
• Aid visitors to the department while maintaining health and safety.
• Lift and carry large pieces of equipment safely.
• Load food trolleys correctly to prevent spills and damage.
• Follow a set pattern for working days with flexibility in hours as required by the team.
• Practice good hygiene methods across the department, adhering to food safety and health & safety legislation.
• Collect and remove waste within the department.
• Attend food safety and allergen training prior to commencing work, and keep training up to date.
• Ensure the department is secure at the end of day, particularly for late shifts.
• Deliver items to wards and other departments as requested.
• Complete all jobs in a timely manner to avoid impacting service delivery.
• Carry out temperature testing and recording for food items.
• Report all maintenance issues to ensure safety for staff and customers.
• Work in extremes of temperature, including hot kitchen production areas, and very cold fridge/freezer zones.
• Exert moderate physical effort for prolonged periods, occasionally moving food trolleys around the hospital.

Qualifications

• Numerate and literate.
• Good all round education.

Experience

• Ability to follow Health and Safety, Food Hygiene, COSHH & HACCP regulations.
• Cleaning experience.
• Previous catering experience.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer Name

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust