Overview
Help Us Deliver Safe, Compassionate, and High-Quality Patient Dining Services. We are looking for a dedicated and people-focused Deputy Patient Dining Manager to support the delivery of exceptional ward-level catering at Addenbrooke's Hospital. Working as part of Medirest—the specialist healthcare division of Compass Group—you'll play a key role in ensuring patients receive the right meal, at the right time, in the right way. If you're passionate about food safety, service excellence, and leading teams in a healthcare environment, this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to patient experience every day.
You’ll be someone who leads with compassion, operates with professionalism, and thrives in a fast-moving healthcare environment.
Responsibilities
* Help coordinate daily ward-level meal services (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and specialist meals) ensuring punctual, accurate, and compassionate delivery.
* Monitor meal presentation, portioning, nutritional compliance, and service consistency, taking action where needed.
* Support the implementation of clinical, allergen, IDDSI, cultural, and religious dietary requirements in partnership with dietetic and clinical teams.
* Promote the "Right First Time" meal accuracy approach and report any deviations.
* Carry out daily/weekly/monthly food safety checks including HACCP, temperature logs, cleaning routines, and allergen controls.
* Help maintain full compliance with Food Standards, CQUINs (retail only), Environmental Health requirements, and internal governance.
* Assist in audit preparation, lead elements of the audit process, and support follow-up action plans.
* Provide guidance and coaching to ward-based catering teams, ensuring high performance and excellent patient service.
* Support recruitment, onboarding, competency checks, mandatory training completion, and performance management.
* Foster a positive, inclusive, and values-driven culture across the team.
* Act as the operational lead in the absence of the Patient Dining Manager.
* Serve as a key point of contact for ward managers, matrons, dietitians, nursing teams, and facilities partners.
* Attend Trust meetings when delegated and contribute to performance reporting and insights sharing.
Qualifications
* Level 2 or Level 3 Food Safety qualification (or willingness to obtain).
* Strong understanding of food safety, hygiene, HACCP, allergens, and compliance documentation.
* Experience in catering or food service within healthcare, hospitality, or high-volume environments.
* Knowledge of clinical dietary requirements including allergens, IDDSI, and cultural/religious diets.
* Experience supervising staff or coordinating meal services.
* Strong communication skills and confidence working with clinical teams.
* Experience with audits or service improvement activity.
* Understanding of staffing rotas, labour budgets, or cost-control basics (desirable).
* A compassionate, patient-focused approach.
* A proactive, solution-oriented mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement.
* Strong IT, organisational, and communication skills.
Additional
Compass Group is a world leader in outsourced food and support services, operating in more than 25 countries and employing over 590,000 colleagues. We are committed to creating a caring, inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, and our people are at the heart of everything we do.
#J-18808-Ljbffr