Catering Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

• To maintain good working relationships and communicate effectively with users of the services and colleagues to include ward staff, other departmental staff and external contractors.
• Is an active member of the team.
• Is flexible in their approach to work.
• Negotiates on a range of environmental and sustainability issues with contractors and suppliers.
• Plans and organises their own work to provide an efficient service to all wards and departments.
• Negotiating and use of persuasive skills will be required to gain co-operation with maintenance staff, gain access within wards and departments and explains technical issues to non-technical staff.
• Forms of communication used will be verbal and written reports and presentations, via; email, face to face and Virtual Meetings to: -

Working Relationships

• All levels of Trust management and staff in all directorates.
• Managers and staff from other NHS Trusts including Service Level Agreement contracts.
• Department of Health and other agencies.
• Private sector partners and contractors including PFI companies/consortiums.
• Local authorities and statutory bodies.
• External Consultants and Specialists
• Contractors
• Voluntary organisations.
• Service users

KEY RESULT AREAS

Responsibility for Patients

• To assist patients during incidental contact
• Continually review the effectiveness of service provision to patients and staff, including the effective utilisation of resources, whilst considering the views of service users, being predominately staff.
• To ensure all telephone and verbal enquiries from patients, public and staff are responded to in a prompt, polite, friendly, and courteous manner, handle complaints and escalate as necessary.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development

• Upgrade and maintain strategies to risks through excellent Risk Management and National Standards of Healthcare Food and Drink 2022 compliance across all services ensuring appropriate records of evidence.
• Modernise and maintain Administration Systems to deliver strategies, creating and embedding policies where this supports implementation within the Trust and the separate facilities areas, providing direction and support to ensure they are consistently delivered.
• Review, update, and implement business continuity plans for the delegated Catering Services.

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• Budget Management and authorised signatory responsibility for both pay and non-pay in relation to delegated Catering Budgets in line with limits set by the Head of Estates & Facilities and Trust Standing Financial Instructions.
• To work with the Trusts procurement and finance teams to procure and negotiate the Trust's utilities contracts via the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency, or other agencies as applicable.
• Benchmark all catering services against similar organisations.
• Support the development of appraisals for Catering Services development, contract negotiation, action planning and making sound judgement against tenders received for external services ensuring compliance with a range of regulations such as Infection Prevention Control, Health and Safety, General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), NHS Deanery and internal Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Ensure the following: Legislative, Regulatory and Statutory duties are met: -
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002
• HACCP
• Health and Safety and Food Safety Act 1990 as amended and related legislation
• NHS CQUIN
• National Standards of Healthcare Food and Drink 2022
• NHS Green Plan

Responsibility for Staff

• The post holder is responsible for the day-to-day line management of the: -

• Food Production Manager
• Retail Manager
• Head Chef

The post holder will also: -

• Communicate on a regular basis with staff regarding the Trusts objectives, strategic plans and business developments.
• Train and develop members of staff.
• Undertake staff appraisals of all senior team leaders in line with organisational requirements.
• Manage all aspects of HR issues including annual leave management, sickness management and disciplinary issues.
• Discuss expected outcomes of training and development activity with staff prior to attending training events.
• Discuss outcomes with staff after attending training and development activity and to assist staff to transfer, develop and use new skills acquired.

Responsibility for Information Resources

• As an employee, you are legally responsible for all records that you gather, create or use as part of you work within the Trust and they remain the property of the Trust. This includes patient, financial, personal, and administrative records, whether paper based or on computer. All such records are considered public records and you have a legal duty of confidence to all service users.
• You should consult the Trusts Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy and ask for guidance from your manager if you have and doubt about the correct management of records with which you work.
• All staff has a responsibility to ensure information quality standards are achieved.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Propose Catering initiatives and/or undertake background research on initiatives proposed by others. Assess their cost effectiveness, technical feasibility and means of achieving acceptance. Work with the appropriate departments to implement such projects.
• Prepare Business Cases in support of capital and revenue bids for funding of identified catering investment requirements in service improvement schemes.
• Research and maintain working knowledge of Catering best practices and latest guidance, and serve as a resource for all departments on Catering initiatives and improvements.
• Monitor service and contract performance for both internal and external KPIs and report results monthly to the Deputy Head of Estates & Facilities.
• Publish the results of service reviews and, where appropriate, generate action plans that address service improvements whilst also continuing to demonstrate value for money.

Physical Skills

• Standard IT and Keyboard Skills (speed and accuracy) are required in a range of computer applications and systems, such as Microsoft Office, Audit Systems and specialist software packages applicable to Facilities Management.
• Ability to travel across the Trust.

Analytical & Judgement Skills

• Able to take judgements across wide range of catering issues whilst considering, legislation, H&S, conflicting demands, service delivery and compliance issues.
• Keep the Catering team and the Trust informed of national changes in relation to Catering Legislation and Compliance, such as National Standards of Healthcare Food and Drink and NHS Deanery
• Ability to process complex information quickly and respond to difficult questions in a measured fashion when providing and receiving information electronically, verbally or in writing which, may or may not be of a confidential or sensitive nature and ensure that this is communicated properly within the organisation.
• Prepare communication briefs and business cases to be presented to the Deputy Head of Estates & Facilities.

Planning & Organisational Skills

• Plan and organise broad range of complex activities; formulate, adjust plans and strategies often dealing with unexpected and changing priorities.
• Possesses excellent time management skills able to deal with several priorities of different orders at once and keeps total workload in hand.
• Ability to manage multiple projects/tasks of varying complexity over a broad geographical area.

Additional Key Result Areas

• Ensure necessary equipment and mechanisms, supported by robust audited processes, are in place to mitigate infection and allergens issues, and Catering staff work in a safe manner and environment.
• Support Clinical Divisions in relation to all aspects of food hygiene compliance.
• In addition to supporting PLACE Audits and PAL Surveys, periodically canvass patients for their views on the standard and quality of meals provided.
• Where possible within Damers Restaurant and the Terrace Caf use of commercial acumen to realise improved income, and consider other commercial opportunities

• ENVIRONMENT AND EFFORT

Physical Effort

• May at times be required to climb ladders to undertake inspections, surveys and audits.
• Light physical effort
• A combination of desk work (DSE), site walkarounds and visits to other Trust owned and leased properties.

Mental Effort

• Able to organise and prioritise work on a daily basis, taking into account conflicting demands, unpredictable work pattern and multiple deadlines.
• Frequent Periods of Concentration to meet deadlines.
• Unpredictable work pattern due to interruptions to manage staff and service emergencies of varying degrees.

Emotional Effort

• Deals with occasional complaints, grievances, and disciplinary issues.
• Manage staff, patient and visitors complaints in line with Trust Policy
• Occasional exposure to emotional or distressing circumstances in relation to patients and staff.

Working Conditions

• Office and Site conditions
• Occasional exposure to unpleasant conditions/occasional highly unpleasant conditions

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications & Training

Essential

• Diploma in business administration or significant management experience, ideally in facilities management
• Membership of an appropriate professional facilities management association or equivalent.

Desirable

• Advanced Food Hygiene Qualification to diploma/degree level (Desirable)

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of working to legislative compliance such as Department of Health (DOH/NHS) England/Care Quality Control (CQC) guidelines
• Experience in managing multiple disciplines of staff and a wide range of facilities services areas.
• Evidence of good budget and resource management, with ability to identify Gross and Net Profits
• Experience of writing reports and presenting Business Cases
• Demonstrates good contract management.
• Experience of working to prescribed guidelines and codes of practice.

Desirable

• Commercial Acumen (Desirable)

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, gaining agreement or co-operation as required.
• Possesses well developed interpersonal skills, able to negotiate and persuade people with a balanced consultative approach to implementing change.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in writing and verbally with a wide range of people.
• Adopts a team orientated approach, able to work across organisation boundaries and interested and supportive of the work of colleagues.
• Good IT skills, MS Office Suite and other related FM software systems
• Ability to coach, develop and motivate people.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Dorset County Hospital

Williams Avenue

Dorchester

DT1 2JY

Employer's website

https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)