Catering jobs in Chesterfield

Salary £24,922.72 - £25,629.22 pro-rata

Location Ashgate Hospice, Chesterfield

Join Our Outstanding Hospice as a Dining Room Assistant

We are looking for a friendly, approachable and customer-focused Dining Room Assistant to join our hospice catering team.

Hours: 15 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Closing date: 11 October 2026

Interview date: 21 October 2026

About the role

This is a predominantly customer-facing role, based in our café and dining room. You will be responsible for providing a warm and welcoming service to patients, visitors and staff, serving food and beverages, operating the café till and helping to ensure the dining area is clean, inviting and well presented.

You will work closely with our Catering Assistants, chefs and volunteers, supporting the wider catering service with basic food preparation, cleaning, stock rotation and other duties as required.

At Ashgate Hospice, food is more than just a meal – it can provide comfort, nourishment and a welcoming experience for people using our services. If you enjoy working with people, take pride in providing excellent customer service and want to be part of a compassionate and supportive team, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Customer service: Welcome and serve patients, visitors and staff in a friendly, courteous and professional manner.
• Food and beverage service: Serve meals, snacks and drinks, ensuring good presentation and following food safety and allergen procedures.
• Dining room: Help set up and maintain a clean, tidy and welcoming dining environment throughout service.
• Till and payments: Operate the café till, process payments accurately and support with cash reconciliation.
• Catering support: Assist with basic food preparation, stock rotation, food storage and other catering duties as required.
• Teamwork: Work closely with chefs, Catering Assistants and volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the catering service.
• Safety and hygiene: Maintain high standards of personal hygiene, cleanliness, food safety and infection prevention and control.

What you’ll bring:

We are looking for someone who is friendly, approachable and reliable, with a genuine commitment to providing a positive experience for everyone using our café and dining facilities.

You will need good communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to work well as part of a team and a willingness to adapt to the needs of a busy service. You should take pride in maintaining high standards of cleanliness, food hygiene and customer service.

Previous experience in catering, hospitality, retail or another customer-facing environment would be helpful, as would experience of using a till or handling cash, but these are not essential if you have the right attitude and are willing to learn.

Most importantly, you will share our commitment to treating patients, visitors, colleagues and volunteers with compassion, respect and dignity.

About Ashgate:

Ashgate Hospice offers free, specialist, compassionate care for adults living with life-limiting or incurable illnesses, including cancer, neurological diseases, and advanced heart, kidney and lung conditions. Based in North Derbyshire, we support people and those important to them through a range of free and fee-paying services.

Each year, we support over 2,640 people, helping them to manage symptoms, stay informed about their care, and maintain the best possible quality of life from diagnosis onwards.

We also provide vital support to those important to them, including practical and emotional support, as well as bereavement care when someone has died.

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:

• Competitive hourly rate plus unsociable hour 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?

To learn more about the role, please contact Mark Taylor, Head Chef, at 01246 568 801 or email mark.taylor@ashgatehospice.org.uk . You can arrange to visit the hospice to see what it would be like to work with us.

Please note: 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.

Proposed Interview date: 21 October 2026.

Please note: We are unable to support applications from candidates who require 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