Job summary
- Main area
- 317 Catering - FH
- Grade
- Band 2
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working 5 days out of 7 on a 3 week roster. shift pattern will be a mix of 6am to 2pm and 10am to 6pm)
- Job ref
- 317-2025-35-10-DR
- Employer
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Freeman Hospital
- Town
- 317 01 Freeman Hospital
- Salary
- £24,465 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/09/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 15/09/2025
Employer heading

Assistant Cook
Band 2
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
An opportunity has arose to join the Catering Department team at the Freeman Hospital.
You will work as part of the large team providing patient, staff and visitors hot and cold meals and beverages 365 days per year.
You will work 5 days out of 7 on a 3 week rolling rota, this will include working 2 weekends out of 3, working these two shift times 6am to 2pm and 10am to 6pm. We operate 365 days a year.
- Interview date: 15th September 2025
- 37 hours 30 minutes /week
-
You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Main duties of the job
- To produce patients sandwiches, salads and cold sweets and to assist the cooks in the preparation, cooking and serving of meals for patients, staff and functions.
- Responsible for the preparation of the cold items for the following day and the cooking of the food for children's wards lunch and evening meal.
- completing relevant paper work.
Working for our organisation
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To assist the cooks in the preparation, cooking and serving of meals for patients, staff and function services.
- Responsible for the timely production of all meals to the required standards
Person specification
SKILLS & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of catering equipment, basic knife skills and general catering equipment
Desirable criteria
- Basic keyboard skills
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential criteria
- Preparing and cooking a broad range of food items
Desirable criteria
- Experience in Large Scale Catering
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Basic food hygiene qualification (level 2)
Desirable criteria
- NVQ 2 Catering – Catering (or equivalent experience) or willing to do the required training
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Michael Bowman
- Job title
- Deputy Catering Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01912139887
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