City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE)

Chef

The closing date is 26 August 2025

Job summary

CHoICE Facilities Services is on the lookout for a dedicated, dependable, and enthusiastic individual to take on the role of Chef within our team based at South Tyneside District Hospital.

The role is 40 hours per week (5 days out of 7) working 8-hour shifts between 6:00am and 7:00pm. Salary is starting at £26,593 pro rata, rising to £28,377 pro rata annually, plus enhancements for weekend and Bank Holiday work. Overtime may be available to cover colleague absences (not guaranteed)

Key Responsibilities are; Oversee and coordinate food preparation; Minimise food waste through efficient planning; Cook and serve meals for patients, staff, and visitors; Handle kitchen telephone enquiries; Prioritise daily workload effectively

Training will be provided, though candidates must demonstrate the ability to manage tasks independently and work proactively.

Ready to bring your passion for food and teamwork into a rewarding healthcare environment?

Main duties of the job

As part of your daily duties, you'll carry out food service tasks associated with the Chef role across various Trust locations. While primarily based on-site, you may occasionally be asked to support operations at St Benedicts Hospice in Ryhope, especially during staff holidays or absences.

Core Duties Include:

Preparing, cooking, and serving meals for patients, staff, and visitors

Maintaining exceptional standards of cleanliness in line with our clean-as-you-go policy

Ensuring a safe, hygienic food service environment at all times

Handling food deliveries and quality checks according to our Food Safety Management System (FSM)

Recording, signing, and dating food safety data daily to comply with Environmental Health inspections

Key Skills & Attributes:

Flexibility to adapt to changing daily service requirements

Effective time management to meet service deadlines

Precision and speed in food prep, including excellent knife handling skills

This role demands reliability, attention to detail, and a commitment to providing high-quality food service.

About us

Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE - trading since 2014) is a wholly owned subsidiary company of South Tyneside & Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust. CHoICE provide a full range of Facilities Management, Procurement and Outpatient Pharmacy services. We employ around 650 staff in a wide range of functions, ranging from cleaners, porters, engineers, procurement specialists and pharmacists.

Commitment, Care and Compassion- our Team contribute to the overall hospital environment, providing safe, secure and comfortable facilities for access by patients, staff and visitors. CHoICE is an exciting place to work that will provide you with an opportunity to grow and develop. Many of our staff work flexibly, including part-time and we are committed to offering flexible approaches to work where possible. We provide a range of benefits including Fitness Centre (SRH), cycle to work scheme and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements.

We welcome all applications regardless of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups.

Ifyou use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Details

Date posted

12 August 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£26,593 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

M9155-Z-EA-0825-66

Job locations

South Tyneside Nhs Foundation Trust

Harton Lane

South Shields

Tyne And Wear

NE34 0PL


Job description

Job responsibilities

To prepare, produce, cook and serve food to patients, staff and visitors.

To maintain at all times a clean safe hygienic work area, adopting a clean as you go policy record accurately food safety information. Chefs are expected to show a flexible attitude to work and work routine, as this can and will change from day to day. On occasion chefs will be required to work additional hours to ensure service continuity, additional hours are paid at overtime rates. Cover the back shift daily, which is different to other chefs work rota. 10.30-19.30 This post will organise ward food shortages, ensuring a timely, efficient service. Answering the telephone, organise the food delivery

FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHMENT

Job description

Job responsibilities

To prepare, produce, cook and serve food to patients, staff and visitors.

To maintain at all times a clean safe hygienic work area, adopting a clean as you go policy record accurately food safety information. Chefs are expected to show a flexible attitude to work and work routine, as this can and will change from day to day. On occasion chefs will be required to work additional hours to ensure service continuity, additional hours are paid at overtime rates. Cover the back shift daily, which is different to other chefs work rota. 10.30-19.30 This post will organise ward food shortages, ensuring a timely, efficient service. Answering the telephone, organise the food delivery

FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHMENT

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • City and Guilds 706/1 Catering qualification
  • City and Guilds 706/2 Catering qualification
  • NVQ level II Catering qualification
  • Qualifications take approx. 3 years

Desirable

  • NVQ Level 3
  • Food Hygiene Level 2
  • UK Driving license

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Cooking skills and knowledge
  • Serving skills
  • Presentation skills and knowledge
  • Portion control
  • Standardised recipe knowledge
  • Cash handling
  • Skills of Problem solving adaptable to ever changing situations

Desirable

  • Menu planning

Physical skills

Essential

  • Moving and Handling
  • Ability to sit at workstations as necessary to perform the post, i.e. mobility to be able to undertake some lifting, i.e. loading and unloading ovens
  • Requirement for speed and accuracy, knife skills, chopping, slicing and carving

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of cooking fresh ingredients.
  • Food Safety Knowledge
  • Cooking a varied menu using fresh ingredients
  • Working in a fast paced ever changing environment

Desirable

  • Large scale cooking
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • City and Guilds 706/1 Catering qualification
  • City and Guilds 706/2 Catering qualification
  • NVQ level II Catering qualification
  • Qualifications take approx. 3 years

Desirable

  • NVQ Level 3
  • Food Hygiene Level 2
  • UK Driving license

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

  • Cooking skills and knowledge
  • Serving skills
  • Presentation skills and knowledge
  • Portion control
  • Standardised recipe knowledge
  • Cash handling
  • Skills of Problem solving adaptable to ever changing situations

Desirable

  • Menu planning

Physical skills

Essential

  • Moving and Handling
  • Ability to sit at workstations as necessary to perform the post, i.e. mobility to be able to undertake some lifting, i.e. loading and unloading ovens
  • Requirement for speed and accuracy, knife skills, chopping, slicing and carving

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of cooking fresh ingredients.
  • Food Safety Knowledge
  • Cooking a varied menu using fresh ingredients
  • Working in a fast paced ever changing environment

Desirable

  • Large scale cooking

Employer details

Employer name

City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE)

Address

South Tyneside Nhs Foundation Trust

Harton Lane

South Shields

Tyne And Wear

NE34 0PL


Employer's website

https://www.choicesunderland.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE)

Address

South Tyneside Nhs Foundation Trust

Harton Lane

South Shields

Tyne And Wear

NE34 0PL


Employer's website

https://www.choicesunderland.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Food Safety Manager

Steven Philpot

steven.philpot1@nhs.net

01914041000

Details

Date posted

12 August 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£26,593 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

M9155-Z-EA-0825-66

Job locations

South Tyneside Nhs Foundation Trust

Harton Lane

South Shields

Tyne And Wear

NE34 0PL


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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