Overview:
The main responsibilities of a Cook are to provide a safe and appetising diet for people living within our care homes. Plus, involving people to choose their food and drinks preferences, therefore enabling people to exercise their basic human rights. Also, this empowers people to have a ‘voice’, this approach aims to enable individuals to experience high quality care and support that is right for the individual person (Care Inspectorate, 2017). Engaging and involving people demonstrates how we facilitate dignity, respect and compassion, as well as promoting people’s wellbeing.
Reports to: Home Manager.
Responsible to: Operations Team.
Main Roles & Responsibilities:
· Show kindness, compassion and respect, as well as treating each person as unique.
· Enable people to exercise their ‘Human Rights’ and make ‘Choices’ about their food and drinks preferences.
· Promote diversity and respect all identities, values and culture.
· Form open, positive relationships and maintain professional boundaries with individuals, colleagues or relatives and respect their dignity, wellbeing and safety.
· Acknowledge an individual’s Personhood(the status of being a person ie ‘seeing the person’), plus embedding a culture of person centredness (this approach treats each person respectfully, as an individual human being and not just a condition to be treated).
· Recognise a person’s spirituality (this is a person’s beliefs / faith) in relation to dietary preferences, as well as food allergies.
· Acknowledge the Food Standards Agency ‘Allergen Checklist’.
· Follow the ‘House Rules’ in relation to food safety procedures. The ‘House Rules’ provide guidance about HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).
· HACCP is a management system () which refers to procedures that you must put in place to ensure that food is safe.
· HACCP provide guidance about the storage, handling, preparation and cooking of food.
· Check expiry / use by dates prior to using food and/or drinks.
· Also record the date / use by date when opening packaging which contains food and/or drink products.
· Wear appropriate PPE - gloves / apron when working in the kitchen and/or preparing food.
· Mops, buckets etc for use in the kitchen are green in colour.
· Gain feedback about the quality of food from residents and their friends and families.
· Work in collaboration with residents and families when reviewing the seasonal MENUs, as well as providing an alternative MENU if people have chosen not to eat from the main MENU.
· Organise food orders, check the deliveries meet our required standards.
· Liaise with the suppliers and inform the Home Manager if the deliveries do not meet our standards and organise the necessary replacements.
· Analyse the nutritional value of our MENUs and ensure they meet the necessary standards to maintain a ‘healthy balanced diet’.
· Liaise with the team to ensure that we meet the nutritional and cultural needs of people living within our care home.
· Where requested, manage costs in line with budgets.
· Complete rotas for the kitchen, ensure there is sufficient staff / appropriate skill mix on each shift.
· Liaise with the team when organising annual leave.
Accountability:
· Recognise and use responsibly the power and authority I have when working with people, this includes supporting relatives and colleagues.
· Make sure that everyone you delegate responsibilities to is adequately supervised and supported so they can provide safe practice.
· Confirm that the outcome of any responsibility that you have delegated to someone else meets the required standard.
· Refer to the ‘Health and Social Care Standards’ (Care Inspectorate, 2017).
· All staff to adhere to Enhance ‘Policies and Procedures’.
· Be truthful, open, honest and trustworthy.
· Be reliable and dependable.
· Maintain clear, accurate and up-to-date records in line with policies and procedures, this includes adhering to the ‘House Rules’ (Food Standards Scotland).
· HACCP is a legal requirement in Scotland, all persons working in the kitchen MUST adhere to this guidance.
· Maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen in line with the ‘House Rules’.
· Dispose of food and/or drinks which either have an unpleasant smell or visually do not appear appetising.
· Dispose of waste appropriately.
· Inform the Home Manager / maintenance person if equipment needs repaired, also record any repairs and/or breakages in the maintenance log.
· Complete monthly catering audit and follow up required actions, this enables the team to maintain high standards.
Communication:
· Communicate in a respectful, open, accurate and straightforward way.
· Attend team meetings and share outcomes and ideas with those in attendance.
· Effective communication is essential to achieving success.
Collaboration & Teamwork:
· Maintaining good ‘Teamwork’ is essential - teamwork is a core value which signifies the importance of collaboration, mutual respect and collective responsibility in achieving common objectives.
Supervision & Appraisal:
· Prepare for and engage in supervision to reflect on my development, learning needs, wellbeing and practice.
· Participate in annual staff appraisals.
Learning & Development:
· Each staff member has a responsibility to maintain their own personal development.
· Update EVOLVE statutory and mandatory E-learning in line with Enhance protocol.
· All staff to complete annual food hygiene training on EVOLVE.
· Attend recommended training identified by the Home Manager,
· Undertake the relevant Food Hygiene / Safety certificate level 3 (Intermediate).
Confidentiality:
· All staff MUST respect confidentiality, this includes confidential information about a person. Staff MUST gain consent before sharing information, as well as adhering to the principles of GDPR.
· Consent MUST be gained prior to taking photographs and/or videos of a person, especially when sharing on social media.
Recognising abuse:
· All staff to ensure that people living within Enhance Healthcare are protected from abuse and free from harm and neglect.
· Where abuse or harm is considered / observed, you have a responsibility to notify the person in charge immediately. Failing this, inform the Deputy Manager and subsequently the Home Manager where necessary.
· Support people and colleagues to give and receive feedback, raise concerns and complaints, take these seriously and act upon them.
· Where requested, you might need to write a statement of account of events and/or a reflection of your observations.
· Refer to Staff Handbook.
Health and Safety:
· All staff are responsible for maintaining a safe environment, for example report any hazards, as well as reducing risk.
· Follow practices, procedures and policies designed to keep me and other people safe at work.
Infection Prevention and Control:
· All staff are responsible for maintaining a clean environment.
· Ensure the kitchen and/or serveries (remote kitchens) are kept clean as per kitchen cleaning schedules.
Pay: £13.89 per hour
Work Location: In person
