Food Service Assistant

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Patient Catering Team at Worthing Hospital as a Food Service Assistant, working 15 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 4pm to 7pm.

2019 saw the introduction of a team of specially trained catering staff dedicated to patient nutrition and hydration as well as cleaning duties to a high Infection control and food safety standard.

Successful applicants should have some previous experience within both the food service and customer service industry although full training will be given.

Previous experience within a healthcare setting would be beneficial.

Duties include but are not exclusive to hot and cold meal and beverage service, meal ordering via electronic system (IPad) general kitchen cleaning duties, Cleaning of patient bedside tables and lockers and washing up.

This is a manual role and applicants will be required to spend the duration of their shift on their feet, pushing, pulling, bending and lifting.

Applicants will be required to under go full training in Food safety, Infection control, COSHH and Special diets. They are also required to operate food service equipment including regeneration trolley, beverage trolley and IPads.

Excellent customer service and communication skills are essential.

Should you require Additional Support with completing your Application, Please contact the Facilities and Estates Recruitment Team via email below:

Main duties of the job

To work as part of the ward team, under the direction and supervision of the Catering Department, providing a high standard in food and beverage service to patients. Undertake preparation, reheating and presentation of patient meals and beverages, whilst adhering to all hygiene and HACCP/ Health and Safety legislation. To ensure cleaning is of a high standard in ward pantry and associated areas in line with Trust cleaning regulations.

The post holder will work as part of a team of catering staff responsible for the effective day to day delivery of food & beverage services across multi sites. The services provide in excess of 20,000 meals per week to almost 1000 hospital beds and various departments within the Trust. Based at ward level, the post holder is required to provide a range of hot and cold meals, snacks and beverages to a maximum of 30 Patients over the course of the day.

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Candidate Pack

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please note: This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered. We include this information at the outset to provide clarity and avoid unnecessary inconvenience for applicants.

If you are applying using a Graduate visa as your right to work, you must have a minimum of 18 months remaining on your visa at time of application.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Communication

• Maintain good communication, liaison and working arrangements with ward staff, own team and other hospital departments.
• Communicate effectively with patients and their relatives to ensure their food and beverage requirements are met.
• To communicate in a courteous, co-operative and sympathetic manner with due regard for privacy, dignity and confidentiality at all times.
• To read and understand written and verbal instructions, and complete HACCP records accurately.
• Take instruction and direction from catering team leaders and senior staff on the ward.
• Ensure daily orders are communicated in a timely manner, to enable the Catering Department to prepare and deliver food items on time.
• Use appropriate communication skills to respond to any aggressive and abusive behaviour and report the situation as soon as possible to the nurse in charge.
• Report any concerns regarding the patient’s nutritional or fluid intake to the nurse in charge.
• Assist nursing staff in updating the nutritional board in the ward area.

Analyticaland Judgemental Skills

• Understand basic HACCP principles and food hygiene policies and procedures, and act upon straightforward day to day issues.
• Report any Health and Safety, and/or Food Safety issues to the Team leader in good time, including any equipment failures or defects.
• Recognise when advice should be sought from the team leader, and be able to escalate problems and concerns.

Please see Job description and person specs for full details.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level 2 in Hospitality/Customer Services or previous experience in a care environment

Desirable criteria

• L2 Food Safety Award or relevant Food Hygiene experience
• COSHH training
• Food Allergen Awareness training
• Previous experience in completing HACCP/food safety documentation

Experience

Essential criteria

• Previous experience of working in a busy catering environment or healthcare setting

Skills

Essential criteria

• Good standard of English literacy and numeracy skills and ability to follow instructions both verbally and written
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential criteria

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

Important information for applicants:

A Note on AI Use in Applications
We value the individuality and authenticity that each candidate brings to the application process. While AI tools are increasingly accessible, we strongly discourage their use in completing your application. Your responses should reflect your own voice, experiences, and motivations—elements that are essential to a fair and accurate evaluation.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content may misrepresent your abilities and could result in your application being rejected. We encourage you to take the time to present your genuine self, as this helps us better understand your potential and ensures a transparent selection process.

Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.

Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.

Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.

DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check . We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.

UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications