Catering Assistant

Reporting Arrangements

The successful candidate will report to the Catering Manager or their Deputy if assigned to the Catering Department or The Hygiene Services Manager or their Deputy if assigned to the Ward Kitchens.

Purpose of the Post

To prepare and deliver appetising meals that are nutritious and wholesome and meet the needs / requirements of patients at ward level and customers in the staff cafeteria. To ensure the catering department/ward kitchen are maintained in a hygienic manner in line with the hospital and statutory standards.

Principle Duties & Responsibilities:

·        Staff are expected to work as part of a team in delivering a first class service to the hospital. A “can do will do” attitude is expected of staff at all times.

·        Be patient and staff focused.

·        Rosters and duties vary across the week, weekend and Bank Holidays and staff are expected to be flexible to support the continuous service delivery to patients and staff in the staff cafeteria.

·        Rotate with roster duties when required to ensure service needs are met.

·        Ensure a high standard of hygiene is maintained in the area he/she is assigned to in line with on-going HACCP regulations, Infection Control Guidelines and Hospital policies.

·        In line with best practice clean uniforms must be worn at all times when on duty along with hair nets, gloves and personal protective equipment/clothing.

·        Each member of staff is required to change into uniform in the hospital changing rooms and change again before leaving the hospital.

·        Staff ID / name badge must be worn and visibly displayed at all times.

·        Report for duty on time and at the designated place of duty as directed by management.

·        Cleaning of kitchen/ward kitchen / staff cafeteria areas to include but not limited to - walls, doors, windows, floors, cookers, cold rooms, fridges, freezers, counters, utensils and all kitchen appliances.

·        All cleaning schedules/kitchen cleaning programmes must be followed and regular sign off must be adhered to in line with best practical guidelines (i.e. HACCP)

·        Ensure proper use and care of cleaning materials and correct care of equipment and appliances in line manufacturer’s instructions and best practices.

·        Carry out stock checks on a regular basis of delph, cutlery, trays, furniture, equipment, food supplies and utensils.

·        Operate the cafeteria till at breakfast / lunch service

·        Ensure the Catering Department/Ward kitchen is secure at all times making sure doors and windows are closed/locked as appropriate and all staff/visitors to restricted areas wear appropriate PPE e.g. hair nets and aprons

·        Assist with special functions as required e.g. meetings / functions etc.

·        Ensure appropriate food service, quality and presentation of all meals to patients and customers in the staff cafeteria.

·        Ensure efficient and economical use of both materials and equipment.

·        Report broken or faulty equipment to the manager / supervisor on duty.

Food Safety / Handling of Food:

·        Staff must practice good hand hygiene as per the 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene and adhere to “Bare Below the Elbows” at all times

·        Adhere to all catering standard operating procedures as per food safety regulations, HACCP and hygiene standards.

·        Have knowledge on how to label and store food correctly in designated fridges or undergo food safety (HACCP) training.

·        Be aware of special dietary needs of patients and how to ensure the patient receives the correct meal as per the catering department / hygiene services department standard operating procedures.

·        Have a knowledge of allergens and understanding of how to advise patients / customers of allergens when making meal choices – training also provided.

·        Temperature monitoring and recording in accordance with the Food Safety Manual (HACCP) of all food been served to patients or customers in the staff cafeteria.

·        Plating of meals in temperature-controlled rooms.

·        Transportation of food trolley / stores delivery to ward kitchens.

·        Regeneration of meals to correct temperatures as set out in the Catering Department Food Safety Manual.

·        Organisation and setting of patient food trays.

·        Organising and receiving stores orders to ward kitchens / staff cafeteria.

·        Preparing and serving sandwiches / salads.

·        Plating up breakfast / lunch for customers in the staff cafeteria.

·        Cleaning of coffee machines / tea stations and wash-up duties.

·        Checking in food deliveries and storing correctly.

·        Carry out such duties and work as assigned by the Catering Manager, their deputy / Hygiene Services Manager or designated Supervisor.

·        Any other duties relevant to the post that might evolve through service changes or pressurised service.

Waste:

·        In line with best practice all guidelines including local policies surround the bagging/tagging and storage of waste, must be strictly adhered to, all staff must familiarise themselves with local waste policies.

·        All waste bins must be clean and free from dirt and grime at all times.

·        All staff must support re-cycling projects currently in operation and any future ones that arise to reduce waste.

Education:

·        All Catering Assistants must attend Mandatory Education within the organisation.

For example: Hand Hygiene, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, Food Safety (HACCP), Infection Control, Children’s First, Open Disclosure, Cyber Security, GDPR and any other training as requested by management.

·        Staff may be asked to attend regular department team meetings to ensure that the service delivery to patients and staff is of the highest standard.

·        Each member of staff must be prepared to make themselves available for training at any time.

·        Each member of catering staff is required to be familiar with HSE, and Hospital Policies in relation to the following:

Catering Health & Safety Statement

Catering Food Safety Manual (HACCP)

Infection Control Policy and Hand Washing policy

Waste Policies

Incident and Accident reporting

Hospital Risk Management

Complaints Procedure

Health Service Executive Employee Manual

Any other policies relating to their employment

Health & Safety:

·        Comply with the policies, procedures and safe professional practice of the Irish Healthcare System by adhering to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.

·        Document appropriately and report any near misses, hazards and accidents and bring them to the attention of relevant / designated individual(s) in line with best practice.

·        Work in a safe manner with due care and attention to the safety of self and others.

·        Be aware of risk management issues, identify risks and take appropriate action to promote a culture that values diversity and respect for all.

·        All defective equipment must be reported to the Catering Manager/ Hygiene Services Manager or designated Manager / Supervisor.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Eligibility Criteria

Qualifications and/ or experience

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria on the closing date:

• Relevant experience in a catering environment in the healthcare/hospitality sector

And

• Have attained such standard of education as would enable him/her to discharge the duties of the post satisfactorily.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Note1: Candidates must achieve a pass in Ordinary or Higher level papers. A pass in a foundation level paper is not acceptable. Candidates must have achieved these grades on the Leaving Certificate Established programme or the Leaving Certificate Vocational programme. The Leaving Certification Applied Programme does not fulfil the eligibility criteria.

Desirable Criteria

At least 3 years catering experience in a healthcare setting or the hospitality sector (serving patients /customers food or cleaning of crockery/kitchens)

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional Knowledge & Experience

·        Demonstrate evidence of knowledge of EHO, HIQA and (HACCP) Food Safety Regulations and the requirements in this role to adhere to same.

·        Demonstrate evidence of experience of working in a healthcare/ hospitality environment.

·        Demonstrate evidence of ability to plan work effectively and efficiently

·        Demonstrate flexible approach to working hours, rostering e.g. unsocial hours/ shift work, attitude to work

·        Have a customer focused approach & understanding of the importance of maintaining a quality service to patients/customers.

Communication & Teamwork Skills

·        Demonstrate effective communication skills including the ability to present information in a clear and concise manner with a competent level of spoken and written English.

·        Demonstrate ability to communicate with colleagues / patients / customers in a professional and respectful manner.

·        Demonstrate ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and to contribute to the overall delivery of the catering services to patients, staff & customers

Commitment to Providing a Quality Service

·        Demonstrate commitment to maintaining high work standards and delivering a quality service to service users.

·        Demonstrate evidence of incorporating the needs of the service user into service delivery.

·        Demonstrate evidence of ability to empathise with and treat patients, relatives and colleagues with dignity and respect.

Competition Specific Selection Process

Shortlisting / Interview

Short listing may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for short listing are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and/or knowledge section of this job specification. Therefore it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements.

Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.

Those successful at the shortlisting stage of this process (where applied) will be called forward to interview.

Code of Practice

The Health Service Executive will run this campaign in compliance with the Code of Practice prepared by the Commission for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). The Code of Practice sets out how the core principles of probity, merit, equity and fairness might be applied on a principle basis. The Codes also specifies the responsibilities placed on candidates, feedback facilities for candidates on matters relating to their application, when requested, and outlines procedures in relation to requests for a review of the recruitment and selection process, and review in relation to allegations of a breach of the Code of Practice. Additional information on the HSE’s review process is available in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code Of Practice, Information For Candidates”.

Codes of Practice are published by the CPSA and are available on www.hse.ie in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code of Practice, Information For Candidates” or on www.cpsa-online.ie.

Tenure

The current vacancies are permanent and whole time.

The post is pensionable. A panel may be created from which permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part time duration may be filled. The tenure of these posts will be indicated at “expression of interest” stage.

Appointment as an employee of the Health Service Executive is governed by the Health Act 2004 and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 and Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Amendment Act 2013.

Remuneration

The Salary scale for the post is as at: August 2025

35,195 37,039 38,147 38,905 39,562 40,412 40,931 41,815 42,723

New appointees to any grade start at the minimum point of the scale. Incremental credit will be applied for recognised relevant service in Ireland and abroad (Department of Health Circular 2/2011). Incremental credit is normally granted on appointment, in respect of previous experience in the Civil Service, Local Authorities, Health Service and other Public Service Bodies and Statutory Agencies.

Working Week

The standard working week applying to the post is: 39 Hours

HSE Circular 003-2009 “Matching Working Patterns to Service Needs (Extended Working Day / Week Arrangements); Framework for Implementation of Clause 30.4 of Towards 2016” applies. Under the terms of this circular, all new entrants and staff appointed to promotional posts from Dec 16th 2008 will be required to work agreed roster / on call arrangements as advised by their line manager. Contracted hours of work are liable to change between the hours of 8am-8pm over seven days to meet the requirements for extended day services in accordance with the terms of the Framework Agreement (Implementation of Clause 30.4 of Towards 2016).

Annual Leave

The annual leave associated with the post will be in line with HSE annual leave entitlements and will be outlined at job offer stage.

Superannuation

This is a pensionable position with the HSE. The successful candidate will upon appointment become a member of the appropriate pension scheme. Pension scheme membership will be notified within the contract of employment. Members of pre-existing pension schemes who transferred to the HSE on the 01st January 2005 pursuant to Section 60 of the Health Act 2004 are entitled to superannuation benefit terms under the HSE Scheme which are no less favourable to those which they were entitled to at 31st December 2004

Age

The Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act, 2018* set 70 years as the compulsory retirement age for public servants.

* Public Servants not affected by this legislation:

Public servants joining the public service, or re-joining the public service with a 26 week break in service, between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012 (new entrants) have no compulsory retirement age.

Public servants, joining the public service or re-joining the public service after a 26 week break, after 1 January 2013 are members of the Single Pension Scheme and have a compulsory retirement age of 70.

Probation

Every appointment of a person who is not already a permanent officer of the Health Service Executive or of a Local Authority shall be subject to a probationary period of 12 months as stipulated in the Department of Health Circular No.10/71.

Infection Control

Have a working knowledge of Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc. and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

Health & Safety

It is the responsibility of line managers to ensure that the management of safety, health and welfare is successfully integrated into all activities undertaken within their area of responsibility, so far as is reasonably practicable. Line managers are named and roles and responsibilities detailed in the relevant Site Specific Safety Statement (SSSS).

Key responsibilities include:

1.     Developing a SSSS for the department/service[1], as applicable, based on the identification of hazards and the assessment of risks, and reviewing/updating same on a regular basis (at least annually) and in the event of any significant change in the work activity or place of work.

2.     Ensuring that Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is integrated into day-to-day business, providing Systems Of Work (SOW) that are planned, organised, performed, maintained and revised as appropriate, and ensuring that all safety related records are maintained and available for inspection.

3.     Consulting and communicating with staff and safety representatives on OSH matters.

4.     Ensuring a training needs assessment (TNA) is undertaken for employees, facilitating their attendance at statutory OSH training, and ensuring records are maintained for each employee.

5.     Ensuring that all incidents occurring within the relevant department/service are appropriately managed and investigated in accordance with HSE procedures[2].

6.     Seeking advice from health and safety professionals through the National Health and Safety Function Helpdesk as appropriate.

7.     Reviewing the health and safety performance of the ward/department/service and staff through, respectively, local audit and performance achievement meetings for example.

Note: Detailed roles and responsibilities of Line Managers are outlined in local SSSS.

[1] A template SSSS and guidelines are available on the National Health and Safety Function, here: https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/safetywellbeing/about%20us/

[2] See link on health and safety web-pages to latest Incident Management Policy