Chef - Royal Gwent Hospital

About the Role

We are looking for a dedicated and experienced Chef to join the Catering Services team at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. This role involves preparing nutritious and appealing meals in a large-scale healthcare environment primarily serving patients, staff, and visitors. Your responsibility will include adhering to high standards for food safety, nutrition, and customer service while accommodating various dietary and allergen requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook a diverse range of meals, including special diets and allergen-controlled options, to a consistently high standard.
• Follow specific recipes, production protocols, and NHS catering standards ensuring quality and uniformity.
• Comply rigorously with food safety legislation, HACCP processes, and allergen management guidelines.
• Regularly check food quality, monitor temperatures, and maintain accurate production and compliance records.
• Support stock control and ordering efforts while actively minimizing food waste.
• Assist and guide catering assistants, contributing to their induction and ongoing training.
• Maintain excellent cleanliness, hygiene, and safety standards throughout all tasks.
• Deliver outstanding customer service to patients, visitors, and team members.

Organizational Information

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is a prominent NHS organization dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality healthcare across the Gwent region. Our vision, aligned with the Gwent Strategy 2025–2035, emphasizes health equity, prevention, and community partnership. We foster an inclusive and supportive work environment encouraging professional growth, flexibility, and employee wellbeing. All our sites enforce a strict smoke-free policy in accordance with legal requirements.

Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated knowledge of varied cooking techniques, including conventional and cook-freeze methods suitable for NHS standards.
• Level 2 cookery qualification or equivalent, supplemented by extensive experience in large-scale catering environments.
• Certified Level 3 Food Safety qualification and allergen management credentials.
• Experience working as a chef in large catering operations, ideally within hospital or care settings.
• Solid understanding of Food Safety Legislation, HACCP, COSHH, and allergen control.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Excellent organizational skills with the capacity to multitask and deliver quality meals within set timeframes.
• Ability to work collaboratively in teams and supervise staff when deployment requires.
• Effective prioritization and time management skills under pressure.
• Keen attention to detail in food preparation, temperature logs, and cleaning procedures.
• Basic proficiency in IT and readiness to adapt flexibly to changing situations.
• Welsh language skills (levels 1 to 5) are desirable but not mandatory.

Additional Information

We welcome applications from individuals with protected characteristics, including disabled and neurodiverse candidates, as well as from the Armed Forces community. Applications submitted in Welsh are equally considered. Reasonable adjustments will be made to support applicants during recruitment and employment. Flexible working arrangements are supported, and smoking is prohibited across all Health Board premises.

Two positions are available:

• Post 1: 37.5 hours per week on varied shifts from 06:00-14:00 and 10:30-18:30 on a four-week rota.
• Post 2: 30 hours per week on similar shift patterns within a four-week rota.

The salary aligns with NHS Agenda for Change Band 3, reflecting the 2026/2027 pay award effective August 2026, backdated to April 1, 2026, where applicable.