Chef
Vacancy at The Mary Stevens Hospice
Chef ( 12 hours per week)
The Mary Stevens Hospice, 221 Hagley Road, Oldswinford, DY8 2JR.
Details
The Chef is responsible for the daily execution of high-quality, nutritious, and safe food services for our hospice patients, staff, and visitors. This role requires a strong balance of standard culinary skills and strict adherence to healthcare catering regulations. The Chef oversees daily kitchen operations during their shift, manages the Kitchen Assistant, and ensures that all patient dietary requirements and hygiene standards are meticulously met.
Food Preparation: Execute all food preparation and cooking for the current day's service, while simultaneously completing the necessary prep work for the following day.
Operational Oversight: Oversee the smooth running of the daily kitchen operations, ensuring meals are served on time and to the highest quality standard.
Stock Management: Conduct daily checks of the food stock and inventory. Identify any shortages and leave a detailed note for the Deputy Catering Manager (or the Catering Manager) so that missing items can be ordered promptly.
Fresh Cooking: Handle or assist with the hospice's daily cooking procedures to maintain a varied, efficient meal service.
Patient Requests: Handle ad hoc patient food requests with empathy and efficiency, adapting meals as needed to support patient comfort and well-being.
Specialised Diets (IDDSI): Strictly adhere to IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) guidelines when preparing texture-modified diets for vulnerable patients. Available on the menu and completed by the nursing team.
Allergen Control: meticulously follow all allergen matrices and cross-contamination protocols to guarantee patient safety.
Nursing Team Liaison: Coordinate with the nursing team and ward staff regarding new patient admissions, sudden dietary changes, or immediate food requirements.
Kitchen Assistant Supervision: Directly manage and support the Kitchen Assistant on shift, ensuring they complete their tasks efficiently and safely (e.g., prep work, dishwashing, and cleaning schedules).
Reporting: Report directly to the Deputy Catering Manager on daily operations and escalate any significant issues. If the Deputy is unavailable, report directly to the Catering Manager.
Hygiene Paperwork: Complete all required compliance and Safer Food, Better Business (SFBB) paperwork accurately twice daily (e.g., temperature probing, fridge checks, cleaning sign-offs).
Standards Maintenance: Ensure the kitchen consistently upholds the standards required to maintain our 5-star Environmental Health Officer (EHO) hygiene rating.
Punctuality & Presence: The core kitchen floor hours are strict. On the morning shift staff must be in uniform and ready to work at 08:00 and may not leave the floor to change until 13:45 or 17:45, provided no nursing emergencies or patient needs are pending.
Adaptability: The hospice environment is unpredictable. The Chef must be prepared to adjust plans at a moment's notice to accommodate late admissions or urgent requests from the care team.
Communication: Must possess excellent communication skills to work seamlessly with catering management, kitchen assistants, clinical staff, and patients.
Specialised Training (Provided): Must be willing to undergo hospice-specific training, including strict adherence to IDDSI (texture-modified diets) guidelines and our bespoke hospice catering manual.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities and is subject to review and change, along with reasonable requests to carry out other duties that assist in the smooth operation of the hospice.
Food Safety: Level 2 (or higher) Award in Food Safety in Catering.
Culinary Certification: A recognised culinary qualification (e.g., NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Professional Cookery, City & Guilds, or equivalent professional experience).
Allergen Training: Valid Food Allergen Awareness certification (or willingness to complete immediately upon hire).
Experience: Proven experience working as a Chef or Cook in a professional kitchen environment. (Experience in a healthcare, hospital, or care home setting is highly desirable but not mandatory if the successful candidate is willing to learn).
Flexibility to work shifts, including weekends and bank holidays.
This post is subject to satisfactory references and pre-employment checks including DBS.
Benefits
27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rota for part time hours)
Enhanced Company Sick Pay
Employee Assistance Programme
Free Carparking
Blue Light Card discounts
Supporting the local community
Notes
We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are happy to provide support or reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.