Catering Manager

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Quality & Safety

• Responsibility for the overall management of the Catering department at the Whittington Hospital, including compliance with all food safety and hygiene regulations.
• The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the Catering services are effectively resourced and has clear policies to deliver a high quality, safe service with robust governance to give assurance from Ward to Board in respect of national standards and statutory compliance.
• The post holder will act as the Trust expert in catering, providing specialist and professional expertise to clinicians, senior managers, and other staff throughout the Trust.
• Accountable for compliance with the NHS - National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink 2022.
• To work with Dietetic and SLT colleagues to support regular audit and quality improvement at ward level.
• Departmental lead for investigating all food related incidents ensuring a robust process in line with the Trust’s policies and procedures. Learning to be disseminated to the departmental SLT and where appropriate, the Executive SLT. Learning where appropriate to be disseminated to all parties, including ward staff, AHPs, catering teams.
• Responsible for departmental adherence to all Trust policy and procedures.
• Ensure patient, staff and visitor Dietary and Allergen requirements are met as appropriate. Ensure that all information relating to allergens is available as required and displayed in the retail dining area for the general public, patients, and visitors.
• Liaise with the Dietetics department and wards to ensure the provision of suitable hospital meals for patients requiring highly specialised therapeutic diets.
• Work with Dietetics to plan, adapt, diet code, and evaluate hospital menus to meet the nutritional and dietary requirements of specialised and general patient groups.
• In conjunction with Dietetics, instruct the diet chefs/care staff in the preparation of highly specialised /therapeutic diets for patients.
• Ensuring the safe preparation, cooking, and serving of all foods to patients, staff, and visitors.
• Ensuring the provision of high-quality hospitality Catering for internal events.
• Trust lead for ensuring all staff members are proficient with the correct food safety qualifications for handling food. Develop and deliver in house training for all staff up to Level 2 food Hygiene as a minimum.
• Ensure rigorous service performance monitoring, management and review arrangements are in place and that all remedial actions are identified and undertaken where necessary.

 Customer Satisfaction

• To ensure that the views of the patients, families, staff, and retail customers are regularly sought to measure customer satisfaction and inform improvement initiatives. To investigate and respond to all related complaints, putting in place any measures necessary to prevent future complaints.
• Liaise with clinical managers, heads of department, contractors, and partner NHS bodies on appropriate matters to maintain or increase overall activity where this is mutually beneficial.
• Develop effective partnerships and work collaboratively within the Directorate and across the Trust.

Contract Management

• Management of supply chain, taking the expert lead when specifying and tendering new supply contracts.
• To lead the formulation of service specifications in preparation for market testing/re-market testing as appropriate, to reflect the present and future requirements of the Trust.
• Support the Head of Facilities in ensuring we continuously have the very best performing vendors in our retail spaces.
• To take a lead role in the management of each market testing exercise from the formulation of the specification through to the evaluation, award, and contract implementation stage.
• Responsible for reviewing contracts and managing performance of the team and suppliers to the team.
• To ensure there is a robust continuity plan in place to support unexpected changes in the supply chain.

 Financial Management

• Budgetary responsibility for catering related pay and non-pay budgets, ensuring the service spend is within prescribed budgetary limits.
• Ensure rigorous service performance monitoring, management and review arrangements are in place and that all remedial actions are identified and undertaken where necessary.
• To actively participate in budget setting.
• To work with contracted services and service users to seek continuous improvement in the quality and standard of the service within allocated resources.
• Identify and implement action plans to generate CIP savings.

 Human Resources Management

• Management of the in-house catering team, ensuring operational continuity 365 days per year.
• Accountable to the Head of Facilities for the full range of managerial duties relating to the management of both Patient and Retail Catering. This includes resource management, performance management, investigation and disciplinary issues relating to the directly employed workforce.
• To manage and co-ordinate disciplinary, grievance, capability, and sickness absence procedures in line with Trust Policies.
• To communicate service change to staffing groups where there may be some resistance. Negotiating, influential and reasoning skills are required to deliver change to improve/modernise the department.
• Provide professional and technical leadership within the Catering department and assist with career development for staff and review performance of internal service provision.
• To be responsible for the recruitment and selection of all Catering staff, including preparation of advertisements, review of job descriptions and person specifications and staff selection.
• Managing the senior Catering team who along with our chefs and catering assistants, create nutritious meals for our patients, staff, and visitors.
• To develop the catering structure to ensure a team of professional staff deliver the highest quality of service within the resources available.
• Responsible for all Catering staff, making sure sufficient training is provided to the appropriate levels and standards for all staff that serve food to patients, staff members and visitors.
• To undertake annual performance reviews with all Catering Supervisors, ensuring objectives are set and Personal Development Plans are in place and to encourage staff with their own personal development.
• Responsible for ensuring all direct reports are directed to undertake annual performance reviews with all Catering staff, ensuring objectives are set and Personal Development Plans are in place and to encourage staff with their own personal development.
• To liaise with staff groups and their representatives as necessary.
• To ensure that services are developed in line with requirements and that they continue.