Job summary
- Main area
- Catering
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 2
- Contract
- Permanent: N/A
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (5 days over 7 on a 3 week rostering system, including working 2 weekends out of 3, public holidays, school holidays)
- Job ref
- 427-7857002
- Employer
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- RUH
- Town
- Bath
- Salary
- £24,465 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Chef
NHS AfC: Band 2
Job overview
We’re looking for a skilled and motivated Chef to join our Catering Team at the RUH. You’ll play a key role in preparing, cooking and serving high‑quality meals for our patients, staff and visitors — including meeting a wide range of dietary needs — while following all departmental policies and food‑safety standards.
We’re looking for a motivated and talented Chef to help us deliver fresh, nutritious and beautifully presented meals for our patients, staff and visitors. If you take pride in your craft and want to make a real difference every day, this could be the perfect role for you.
You’ll work across both our main patient kitchen and retail kitchen, depending on service requirements, helping us deliver fresh, nutritious and well‑presented food every day.
Main duties of the job
What the role involves:
- Working 7.5‑hour shifts between 06:00 and 19:00, five days over seven, including 2 out of 3 weekends and public/school/Bank holidays.
- Putting patients first by ensuring meals are prepared and served accurately, safely and on time.
- Supporting senior kitchen staff and colleagues to meet deadlines and follow safe working procedures.
- Following all Trust policies, food‑safety standards and relevant legislation.
- Listening to instructions, working collaboratively and showing respect to colleagues, patients and visitors.
- Maintaining professionalism, promoting inclusion and contributing to a positive team culture.
- Minimising food and non‑food waste in line with departmental guidance.
- Applying knowledge from mandatory and departmental training and following all Standard Operating Procedures for your safety and the safety of others.
- Carrying out all reasonable tasks with accuracy, efficiency and pride.
This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your skills to a team that values quality, teamwork and outstanding service. If you're passionate about great food and great care, we’d love to welcome you.
Working for our organisation
At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.
We are proud to be in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country.
We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.
A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.
We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!
We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Prepare, cook and portion hot and cold meals for patients, staff and visitors, ensuring high standards, accurate portion control and correct storage of all food items.
- Follow all Food Hygiene policies, Standard Operating Procedures and legislative requirements, maintaining excellent personal hygiene and a clean, safe working environment.
- Complete all required food‑safety documentation, including temperature monitoring, recording deviations and reporting concerns to senior kitchen staff.
- Safely use, clean and reassemble catering equipment, carrying out routine cleaning tasks (including floors, walls, drainage and surfaces) and adopting a “clean as you go” approach.
- Respond to kitchen enquiries, support additional meal requests, handle initial service complaints appropriately and communicate politely with staff, patients and visitors.
- Work as a positive team member, minimise waste, attend training, follow health & safety procedures and undertake reasonable tasks requested by supervisors or managers.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Good literacy and numeracy skills.
- Basic Food Hygiene Certificate
- 706/2 or NVQ level 2 or relevant catering qualification
Desirable criteria
- Food Allergens Awareness Training.
- Strong culinary skills.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous large scale catering experience
- Good understanding of special dietary needs within a health care setting
- Ability to work and remain calm under pressure
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience of the NHS
- Flexible approach towards duties and hours worked
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lee Johnston
- Job title
- Food Production Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01225 824684/5
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