Chef

Job overview

To carry out duties to the required standards as efficiently and effectively as possible as part of the catering team, to provide a high-quality service providing safe and nutritious food to patients, staff and visitors in compliance with Food Safety Regulations.

Main duties of the job

• To prepare, cook and serve all types of meals/snacks for patients, visitors, staff and volunteers, applying daily menu choice.
• To ensure all patients and staff receive a nourishing well balanced diet.
• To work within all areas of kitchen production (ward based or retail) for Alder Hey.
• To follow the direction of the Catering Manager and Head Chef Manager regarding daily production needs.
• To be responsible for the cleaning of equipment and work area of the area that is currently being worked in.
• To taste and check all food produced and report any issues immediately to the Head Chef Manager.
• To produce all meals to the specified recipe exactly.
• To produce meals as required satisfying the specific dietary needs of the patient.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Summary: To carry out duties to the required standards as efficiently and effectively as possible as part of the catering team, to provide a high-quality service providing safe and nutritious food to patients, staff and visitors in compliance with Food Safety Regulations.

Main duties and Responsibilities

• To prepare, cook and serve all types of meals/snacks for patients, visitors, staff and volunteers, applying daily menu choice.
• To ensure all patients and staff receive a nourishing well balanced diet.
• To work within all areas of kitchen production (ward based or retail) for Alder Hey.
• To follow the direction of the Catering Manager and Head Chef Manager regarding daily production needs.
• To be responsible for the cleaning of equipment and work area of the area that is currently being worked in.
• To taste and check all food produced and report any issues immediately to the Head Chef Manager.
• To produce all meals to the specified recipe exactly.
• To produce meals as required satisfying the specific dietary needs of the patient.

• To ensure food production standards are of the highest quality and the production meets the specified times of service.
• To ensure that food is professionally presented, and all meals requested are promptly dispatched at the correct service times, with additional requests outside of service to be produced and delivered as soon as possible.
• To maintain the correct stock levels in your work area and to follow guidelines on storage of food items.
• To follow set production levels to minimise stock wastage.
• To ensure that all personal hygiene and working areas and methods are of a high standard at all times.
• Maintain a safe working environment at all times.
• To ensure that all food meets safe temperature guidelines (refer to HACCP policy).
• To ensure that all equipment used is kept clean and is in good working order.
• To ensure that all food is covered, labelled, within “use by date” and placed within a fridge when not in use.
• To report all accidents and any incident of pests in the workplace immediately, following the correctly reporting procedure.
• To be aware of COSHH and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) requirement for your own safety and that of the workplace.
• To be familiar with the Alder Hey Policies relating to Fire, Health and Safety and COSHH regulations and to keep mandatory training up to date.
• Compliance with Health and Safety and Manual Handling Guidelines.
• Any other reasonable duty or task required by the Catering Management.
• To report any incident of theft, contravention of fire procedures immediately.

Communication

• To maintain communications with patients to ensure their nutritional needs and all special requirements are met.
• To plan and prepare daily menus/special diets in consultation with other staff (i.e. medical and nursing teams) to meet all patients’ requirements ensuring there is sufficient food to meet the numbers required.
• To liaise on a daily basis with patients, ward staff, volunteers and visitors regarding all aspects of the catering service, including gathering regular feedback on both food quality and service.

General

In addition to the specific duties and responsibilities outlined in this job description, all Alder Hey NHS Trust employees should be aware of their specific responsibilities towards the following:

• Adhere to all health and safety and fire regulations and to co-operate with the Trust in maintaining good standards of health and safety
• Adhere to all information governance, privacy and security policies, standards, guidelines and procedures; practise and promote secure behaviours
• Adhere to all Alder Hey NHS Trust policies and procedures at all times
• Actively promote and support the safeguarding of vulnerable adults, young people and children, observing and adhering to Alder Hey NHS Trust policies on safeguarding
• Uphold ethical and professional standards and not behave in a manner that is likely to bring the Trust into disrepute
• Promote and sustain a responsible attitude towards equal opportunities and diversity within the Trust
• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing registration requirements or any national professional or occupational standards associated with the role
• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning and development and to participate in any training relevant to the role

This job description is not exhaustive, it merely acts as a guide and may be amended to meet the changing requirements of the Trust at any time after discussion with the post holder.