Job overview
Barts Health NHS Trust manages one of the largest and most complex operational estates in the NHS, supporting some of the busiest hospitals in the country. We are committed to delivering safe, effective and high-quality services that enable outstanding care across East London. We are seeking exceptional Patient Catering Service Delivery Managers (Band 7) to lead our Soft FM Catering team.
The postholder shall be responsible for the overall management and monitoring of organisational food safety and delivery within Barts Health. The postholder will have overall responsibility for the management of the in-house staff and delivery of catering services at one of our hospital sites alongside other sites as required. The postholder shall lead regular collaborative menu reviews to ensure that the catering services at the site meet the changing needs of service users, dietetic requirements and NHS and other similar standards, whilst maintaining effective budget management and stakeholder collaboration. The postholder will manage the day-to-day effectiveness of communication between the nursing teams and catering department teams. The postholder will act as the main point of contact for resolving any site complaints / issues from service users and staff, and work with the in-house and outsourced catering service providers to implement continuous improvement initiatives. The postholder shall ensure the catering services at the site are compliant with all relevant legislation and standards, including the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Food and Drink 2022, and submit assurance reports to the trust following regular auditing
Main duties of the job
The Patient Catering Service Delivery Manager will be responsible for the operational leadership, management and delivery of a high-quality, safe and patient-focused hospital catering service. The postholder will ensure that Patient Catering services consistently support positive patient experience, clinical outcomes and nutrition and hydration requirements, while complying with Trust policies, statutory regulations and national standards for healthcare food and drink. The postholder will manage the day-to-day operation of Patient Catering services across the hospital, ensuring the effective coordination of food receipt, preparation, production and service delivery to inpatient wards. This will include responsibility for ensuring that food and beverage services are delivered safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards, and that services remain responsive to patient, clinical and operational needs. The postholder will ensure that catering operations are well organised, appropriately resourced and able to meet fluctuations in demand, including during periods of increased activity, service change or operational pressure. The postholder will work closely with the Associate Director of Patient Catering and the Soft FM Dietitian to support the delivery of Trust nutrition and hydration priorities. This will include supporting compliance with therapeutic diet requirements, hydration standards and national guidance, and working collaboratively to address issues that may impact patient safety or experience. The postholder will engage regularly with ward teams, Nursing colleagues and Dietitians to ensure that catering services are aligned with clinical needs and that issues are identified and addressed promptly. The Patient Catering Service Delivery Manager will also work in partnership with the Hospital Head of Facilities to support the effective management of resources and service performance. The postholder will contribute to operational planning and performance discussions and will provide cross-cover across Facilities functions when required, deputising as appropriate to ensure continuity of service and effective operational oversight. The postholder will provide visible, professional and supportive operational leadership to Patient Catering teams, promoting Trust values and encouraging a culture of quality, safety, accountability and continuous improvement. They will be accountable for operational performance, health and safety compliance and service standards within Patient Catering and will manage complex operational issues, making informed and timely decisions to ensure continuity and reliability of service delivery. The role will require the postholder to exercise judgement and autonomy within agreed policies and procedures, escalating issues appropriately where required. Monitoring and improving performance will be a key aspect of the role. The postholder will be responsible for monitoring key performance indicators and service standards and for contributing to the development and implementation of improvement plans where performance falls below agreed expectations. This will include supporting audits, inspections and reviews, and ensuring that actions are implemented and monitored effectively to achieve sustained improvement. The Patient Catering Service Delivery Manager will contribute to the effective management of financial and staffing resources within Patient Catering services. Working with the Hospital Head of Facilities, the postholder will support the management of service performance against agreed financial and operational targets. This will include monitoring food costs, wastage and quality, identifying opportunities for efficiency and sustainability, and contributing to service development and cost improvement initiatives. The postholder will proactively manage staffing resources, including overtime and agency usage, to ensure that services are delivered efficiently and within available resources.
Working for our organisation
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
There are 3 positions open for this role
1 role in St Bartholomew's Hospital
1 role in Newham General Hospital
1 role in Whipps Cross Hospital
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
**We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the advertised closing date, once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful**
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Level 2 Food Allergen Management
2. NVQ 1&2 in Catering and Hospitality
3. Level 4 Certificate in Food Safety and hygiene
4. Significant and credible industry experience at senior Catering Services management level gained in a Healthcare or other suitable similar environment
Desirable criteria
5. Level 2 HACCP
6. Advanced Food Hygiene Diploma to degree level equivalent
7. HCIMA full membership status
Experience
Essential criteria
8. Experience at a middle management level
9. Experience managing the catering services in a large in-house environment.
10. Experience of menu planning and costing
11. Experience of budget management catering
12. Experienced within a quality and monitoring of food service • Experience ensuring compliance to Food Safety Legislative requirements, including site inspections, auditing.
13. Experience of writing and reviewing risk assessments/method statements, COSHH assessments and toolbox talks for catering services. • Experience of managing and monitoring a HACCP system in a Kitchen
14. Experience of managing staff in line with HR processes
15. Experience of contract management
16. Experience implementing service improvements in catering services
Desirable criteria
17. Experience of working In a Hospital environment
18. Previous NHS experience or other public sector organisation.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
19. Specialist knowledge across range of procedures and practices underpinned by theory, to include:
20. Catering Equipment
21. HTM Healthcare waste management
22. Knowledge of Food safety & current legislation
Desirable criteria
23. National cleaning Standards 2021
24. Natasha’s Law October 2021
25. National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink 2022
26. Knowledge of service related to Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Skills
Essential criteria
27. Ability to deal with complex facts or situations, requiring analysis, interpretation, comparison of a range of options.
28. Ability to analyse and resolve complex service issues, judgements on performance management.
29. Plan and organise a broad range of complex activities; formulate, adjust plans or strategies.
30. Good crisis management skills
31. Complex staff planning for food production service
32. Coordinates staff input to organisational food safety risk management policy
33. Long term menu planning/ long term planning for catering services
34. Good communication skills well-developed problem solving skills & a flexible approach to developing solutions
35. Ability to prioritise tasks and allocate work loads
36. Ability to motivate staff
37. Good organisational skills
38. Good team Leadership skills
39. Ability to supervise contractors
40. Advanced IT skills. Computer literate to high level to be able to use, process and manage intelligent and confidential software.
41. To undertake best and safe practices under Health and Safety guidelines
42. Ability to use environmental monitoring equipment.
43. Prioritise changing workloads
**Visa Sponsorship Information**
Recent changes to UK immigration policy on the Health and Care Visa and Skilled Worker Visa could mean that this role is not eligible for sponsorship or that you may not meet the eligibility criteria.
Sponsorship can only be offered if this post and any individual offered employment meet all the Home Office’s requirements under the UK Skilled Worker visa scheme.
If you are applying from outside the UK or will require sponsorship, please mention this clearly in your application.
To be eligible for sponsorship, the following conditions must be met:
44. Eligible role: The position must be on the UK Skilled Worker visa list. You can check your eligibility here: -.
45. Salary threshold: The role must meet the minimum salary set by the Home Office. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.
46. Skill level: The role must meet the minimum skill requirement of RQF Level 6 or above (graduate level).
47. English language: Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level B1 or higher.
48. Other criteria: Applicants must meet all other criteria as set out by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)