Catering Assistant

Hours:   21 hours per week, Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays

Join Our Friendly Catering Team at Ashgate Hospice

Are you passionate about great food, excellent customer service, and working as part of a supportive team? We’re looking for a Catering Assistant to join our busy hospice catering team, helping provide fresh, home-cooked meals and refreshments to patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers across our Inpatient Unit and onsite café.

At Ashgate Hospice, food is about more than nutrition. Food brings comfort, enjoyment, and connection to those in our care. Whether you’re serving meals to patients, preparing the café for visitors, or supporting colleagues behind the scenes, your work will make a genuine difference every day.

We’re proud to have been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and we’re looking for someone who takes pride in delivering high standards, enjoys working with people, and thrives in a team-focused environment.

What you’ll be doing:

Meal Preparation & Service

• Assisting with the preparation and service of meals and refreshments
• Helping ensure individual dietary needs and preferences are met

Customer Service & Teamwork

• Providing a welcoming and professional service to patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers
• Supporting the smooth running of our hospice café and catering services
• Working closely with colleagues and volunteers as part of a supportive team

Food Hygiene & Cleanliness

• Maintaining excellent food hygiene and cleanliness standards across the kitchen, café, and dining areas, helping create a welcoming environment for everyone who visits the hospice

Stock & Kitchen Support

• Assisting with stock rotation, deliveries, and kitchen organisation

For full details of what the role includes please read the attached Job Description or call Mark Taylor, Head Chef, on 01246 568801.

What You’ll Bring:

As a Catering Assistant at Ashgate Hospice, you’ll play an important role in creating a positive experience for our patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers through high-quality food and excellent service. We’re looking for someone who enjoys working with people, takes pride in maintaining high standards, and can work flexibly as part of a busy catering team.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and build positive working relationships across departments
• Ability to support and guide volunteers during shifts
• A warm, friendly, and professional approach when supporting patients, visitors, and colleagues
• A positive, approachable attitude and willingness to help wherever needed
• Good understanding of food hygiene and cleanliness standards
• Willingness to undertake further training and attend team meetings when required
• Flexibility to support other areas of the catering service when needed

About Ashgate:

Ashgate Hospice, based in North Derbyshire, offers free palliative and end of life care for adults with life-limiting or incurable illnesses, including cancer, neurological diseases, and advanced heart, kidney, and lung conditions. Last year, we cared for over 2,400 people.

Our aim is to support our patients by keeping them informed, managing their symptoms, and improving their quality of life from diagnosis onwards. We also provide vital support to the people who are important to them, offering practical assistance and emotional support, including bereavement services.

We are more than a care provider. We’re a campaigner for sustainable end of life care funding in the UK, and we continually invest in our services and workforce.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do:

• We are compassionate.
• We are a team.
• We are respectful, open, and inclusive.

We value diversity and inclusion and encourage applicants from all backgrounds.

Benefits of joining us

At Ashgate, we take care of the people who take care of others. Our benefits include:

• Competetive hourly rate plus weekend enhancements
• Generous holiday entitlement, with the option to buy and sell leave
• Flexible working options, including job-sharing where possible
• Pension scheme with up to 7% employer contribution
• A Health Cash Plan, helping cover costs such as dental care, physiotherapy, and eye tests.
• A life assurance scheme, giving peace of mind for you and those important to you, up to age 65.
• A free confidential Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7
• Cycle to Work scheme and Tech Benefit scheme to help spread the cost of your next purchase
• Commitment to training, development and career progression
• Free, on-site parking
• Discounted, onsite café at our Old Brampton site, for all staff
• A wide range of wellbeing initiatives, support and time out to practice self-care

Ready to make a difference?

If you take pride in delivering great food and excellent service and want your work to make a genuine difference every day, we’d love to hear from you.

To learn more about the role, please contact Mark Taylor, Head Chef, at 01246 568 801 or emailmark.taylor@ashgatehospice.org.uk . You are also welcome to arrange a visit to the hospice to see what it would be like working with us.

Applications must be submitted via the ‘Apply Now’ button on our website. Applications sent directly to People Services or the recruiting manager will not be accepted.

Please note: This role does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship under UK immigration rules, and we are therefore unable to support applications from candidates who require this sponsorship to work in the UK.

Additional Information:

• Successful applicants will be required to complete a DBS check as part of our pre-employment process
• As a healthcare provider, we encourage staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive the annual flu vaccination, unless there is a valid reason not to.
• If you need any support during the recruitment process, please contact our People Services team at peopleservices@ashgatehospice.org.uk  or call 01246 568 801.

Additional Support for Candidates

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive, fair, and accessible.

We welcome requests for reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process for individuals with disabilities, neurodiverse conditions, or long-term health conditions.

As part of our Disability Confident commitment, we guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role.

All shortlisted candidates will receive interview questions in advance to support preparation.

Accessibility Resources:

If you need support completing your online application, you can contact the Disability Employment Service / Youth Employment Service via ASCH.Disability.EmploymentProject@derbyshire.gov.uk .

We also encourage candidates to complete and share a Health Adjustment Passport. This can help us understand any adjustments or support you may need during the recruitment process or in the workplace. Sharing your passport is entirely optional, but many people find it a helpful tool for identifying and discussing support needs.

You may also be able to access support through the Access to Work scheme - a government initiative designed to help people start or remain in work if they have a health condition or disability. Thus support can also apply during the recruitment process.

The following resources may also be helpful:

• Looking for work if you are disabled
• Reed in Partnership, Chesterfield Office: Call 0124 695 6275
• Disability Employment Service, Derbyshire County Council

If you have any questions about adjustments, accessibility, or the recruitment process, please contact our People Services team:

• Email: peopleservices@ashgatehospice.org.uk  
• Telephone: 01246 568 801