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Job summary

Main area
Head Housekeeper
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
37.5 hours per week (Full time)
Job ref
267-CS7458851
Employer
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Warneford Hospital
Town
Oxford
Salary
£24,937 - £26,598 per annum | pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
09/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head Housekeeper - Vaughan Thomas - Warneford Hospital Oxford

Band 3

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.

We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you.


 

Job overview

We are recruiting for a Head Housekeeper to join the Vaughan Thomas Ward  at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford to manage the housekeeping team and ensure all service standards are met and maintained. 

This role is 37.5 hours per week working various shifts including alternate weekends.

The housekeeping team work closely with nursing staff to ensure a clean and safe environment for our patients, staff and visitors as well as overseeing catering provisions. The role also includes the organisation of staff rotas, order supplies as well as supervise and support your direct staff.  

If you're a strong team player, experienced in housekeeping within healthcare or hospitality, with excellent customer service and rota management skills then we would love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

  • Responsible for ensuring that a clean and safe environment is maintained at all times for both patients and staff, whilst also managing a small team of Housekeeping staff
  • Ordering supplies via the Trust E-ordering system, management of your team’s rotas and supervision of staff
  • Staff training and induction
  • To be responsible for the recording and retention of all documentations required for food 
    and cleaning services. i.e., temperature checks and cleaning task list 
  • To regenerate frozen meals recording the temperatures of food at stages defined 
    as appropriate within the relevant wards. 
  • To reports any damages or hazards that are present in-patient rooms or ward areas, i.e., burnt out light bulbs, broken furniture, broken fixtures, etc. to ward clerk. 

Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties.

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

•    Excellent opportunities for career progression
•    Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
•    27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
•    NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
•    Competitive pension scheme
•    Lease car scheme
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Employee Assistance Programme
•    Mental Health First Aiders
•    Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
•    Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ level 3 relevant certificate or relevant experience

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of COSHH regulations
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience of supervising staff
  • Experience of working in a mental health care setting

Attributes

Essential criteria
  • IT skills – basic knowledge of Microsoft word and excel
  • Good communication skills
  • Flexible working

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthNHS 75th BirthdayDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Sarah Leahy
Job title
Facilities Support Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07787 485936
Additional information

At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.

Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.

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