Senior Housekeeper

Job overview

Are you an experienced Housekeeper looking to take the next step in your career?

2 exciting opportunities have arisen for motivated and enthusiastic individuals to join the team on Burbage Ward as a Senior Housekeeper, and our brand new inpatient ward. Burbage Ward provides care for 16 adult female inpatients, our new ward provides care for ….., and we are looking for someone who is passionate about creating a clean, safe and welcoming environment that supports high-quality patient care. The new ward will be a 12-bedded female-only acute inpatient ward supporting women with enduring and complex mental health needs. The ward has been developed around a bespoke women’s model of care, recognising the importance of providing a therapeutic, trauma-informed and gender-sensitive environment that promotes safety, dignity, recovery and choice

As Senior Housekeeper, you will play a key role in leading and supporting the housekeeping team, ensuring high standards of cleanliness, food service and environmental quality are maintained across the ward. You will work closely with ward staff and contribute to the positive experience of patients, carers and visitors through your leadership and commitment to excellence.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop their supervisory and people management skills within a supportive NHS environment. Training and support will be provided to help you succeed in the role.

Main duties of the job

As Senior Housekeeper, you will provide day-to-day leadership and support to the housekeeping team, ensuring high standards are maintained across all aspects of the service.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supervising and supporting the housekeeping team.
• Organising staff rotas and ensuring adequate service cover.
• Supporting recruitment, induction and training of new staff.
• Conducting supervision sessions and contributing to staff appraisals and development.
• Monitoring quality standards relating to cleanliness, infection prevention and food hygiene.
• Managing stock levels and ordering cleaning materials and supplies.
• Supporting compliance with Health & Safety, COSHH and Infection Prevention procedures.
• Working alongside the housekeeping team when required to maintain excellent standards of service delivery.
• Working collaboratively with ward managers and clinical colleagues to ensure the ward environment contributes positively to patient care and recovery.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Supporting Patient Care

• With the support and assistance of the nursing team, to ensure that Housekeeping staff contribute to the monitoring of patient self care needs and abilities, through their day to day interactions, and that staff are equipped with the skills and support to do so.
• To ensure that arrangements are in place, understood and adhered to in relation to informing patients of menu choices, ensuring their choices are known and provided for.
• To ensure that arrangements are in place to promptly provide for special dietary needs, advising the Ward Manager or Senior Nursing staff of any anticipated difficulties

Ward Environment

• Ensure day to day cleanliness of the wards, following work schedules and devising work schedules as appropriate to the housekeeping team.
• To ensure clear and effective arrangements are in place, within the Ward environment, to allow for the timely removal of waste, dirty linen and items for disposal from the ward environment.
• To ensure and monitor that these are adhered to and that difficulties are addressed and remedied, advising the Ward Manager of undue difficulties.

Management responsibilities

• Responsibility for maintaining staff records
• To ensure staff resources are used to best effect, to maintain standards of service evenly when preparing duty rotas, in terms of shift patterns and annual leave entitlement.
• To ensure that staff time sheets are appropriately authorised.
• Undertaking supervision with housekeepers under the guidance of the manager.
• Ensure all legal responsibilities under health and safety, PEAT, infection control and environmental health are adhered to.
• To ensure control systems are in place and maintained to appropriately manage and monitor expenditure, being able to account for changes and advise the Ward Manager of cost forecasts.
• To participate in staff recruitment.
• To ensure appropriate arrangements are in place to support the use of temporary / agency staff.
• To undertake day to day sickness management of staff.

Health and Safety

• To ensure that weekly systems for Health and Safety checking and monitoring are implemented and adhered to, reporting any faults or maintenance needs with follow up enquiries, and reporting to the Nurse in charge any issues of immediate concern.
• To ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to fully comply with COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) Regulations.
• To ensure that arrangements for the safe storage, timely removal and disposal of household and clinical waste, are appropriate and followed.
• To ensure that effective arrangements for the monitoring of water temperatures and development of legionella bacteria within the Ward are in place and monitored.

Training

• Ensuring mandatory training is undertaken by the housekeeping team, including Food Hygiene, Health and Safety and Fire.
• Undertaking training with staff to ensure they are using any equipment and machinery safely.
• Undertakes all mandatory and CPD as per requirements of role
• To participate in arrangements for own supervision, appraisal and ongoing development.
• To ensure that staff within the Housekeeping Team receive appropriate supervision, annual appraisals and have relevant personal development / training plans in place.
• To promote NVQ’s to members of the team as an appropriate and recognised means to support and enable staff development with regard to identified and required competencies.

Policies & Procedures:

• To ensure the housekeeping team are aware of the Trusts Policies and Procedures as they relate to and affect their work.

Equipment and Supplies:

• To ensure that all equipment for relevant purposes in respect of ward cleaning and food preparation and storage is clean, fit for purpose and maintained appropriately, and can be used by housekeeping staff in the correct ways providing for their safety and that of others.
• Ordering of cleaning materials and ensuring stock levels are controlled.

Food Hygiene

• Ensure all staff work within the SCT Catering Services Framework and in accordance with Statutory Food Hygiene Policies

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.