Housekeeping Lead

Job summary

At St John's Hospice, every member of staff contributes to the exceptional care and support we provide to patients and their families. Due to retirement, we are looking for an experienced and motivated Housekeeping Lead to lead our housekeeping service and ensure our hospice environment remains clean, safe, comfortable and welcoming for everyone who uses our facilities.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with housekeeping, cleaning or facilities experience who is ready to take the next step in their career, or an experienced supervisor looking to join a values-led organisation making a real difference in the local community.

You will be responsible for maintaining high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and infection prevention, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and supporting a safe environment for patients, visitors, volunteers and staff. The role combines leadership with a hands-on approach, and you will work operationally alongside the team on a regular basis while ensuring workloads, rotas, stock levels and service standards are effectively managed.

Main duties of the job

Lead and manage housekeeping services across all Hospice departments and onsite buildings, ensuring consistently high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, infection prevention and control to maintain CQC standards and meet Hospice expectations.

Provide effective line management for the Housekeeping Team, ensuring staff, equipment, consumables and workloads are well organised, priorities are clear, and services are delivered safely, professionally and to a high standard.

Promote the Hospice vision and values and always maintain confidentiality.

About us

Dedicated staff are the Hospices greatest asset in its mission to provide consistently high standards of patient and family care. We invest time and effort in maintaining a culture that encourages our team to consistently achieve high standards of service. We are a charity and charities rely on reputation. Since opening our doors in 1986, our reputation has been built on compassionate care and we welcome people to our team who understand the unique requirements of working for a charity and who are passionate about high standards of public service.

In addition to clinical roles, our team is made up of a variety of different disciplines from administration staff, to fundraisers, finance support staff, chefs and housekeepers. Their practical support keeps the Hospice running smoothly and allows us to do what we do best care for patients. Although not actively involved in clinical care, non-clinical staff have patient contact and that is why we hand-pick people for their personal attributes as much as their skills and abilities. Again, being a member of the non-clinical team at St. Johns means that we expect you to be an ambassador for the charity above and beyond the requirements of your job role.

We offer:

• NHS Pension Scheme (subject to eligibility) or St John's Hospice Pension Scheme which is 8% Employer funded
• Annual leave entitlement on joining of 27 days (plus usual bank holidays), which entitlement increasing following 5 and 10 years service
• Free onsite parking

Job responsibilities

POST: Housekeeping Lead

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week (5 days over a 7-day rota, including weekends and Bank Holidays (7.30am -3.30pm)

CONTRACT: Permanent

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Director of Finance & Resources

REPORTS TO: Head of Facilities

RESPONSIBLE FOR: Housekeeping Assistants

JOB PURPOSE

Service Leadership

Lead and manage housekeeping services across all Hospice departments and onsite buildings, ensuring consistently high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, infection prevention and control to maintain CQC standards and meet Hospice expectations.

Team Management and Service Delivery

Provide effective line management for the Housekeeping Team, ensuring staff, equipment, consumables and workloads are well organised, priorities are clear, and services are delivered safely, professionally and to a high standard.

Values and Confidentiality

Promote the Hospice vision and values and always maintain confidentiality.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Head of Facilities

Director of Nursing & Quality

Ward Management Team

Health and Safety Officer

Head of Governance and Improvement

Maintenance Coordinator

Departmental Managers

MAIN DUTIES

Provide effective leadership and line management for the Housekeeping Team, creating a professional, supportive and well-structured working environment.

Plan, prioritise and organise the teams workload so that services are delivered safely, efficiently and to a consistently high standard.

Complete the housekeeping rota, arrange cover for absence and manage day-to-day staffing requirements within agreed operational limits.

Manage sickness absence, return-to-work meetings, annual leave, probation reviews and other people management processes in line with Hospice policies.

Complete annual appraisals and regular one-to-one meetings, setting clear objectives, reviewing progress and supporting continual improvement.

Support recruitment activity, including shortlisting, interviews and appointment decisions where required.

Undertake mandatory training and participate in appropriate in-service training as required.

Attend relevant meetings and contribute to effective communication across departments where required.

Carry out any other duties that may be reasonably requested and are appropriate to the role.

Work operationally alongside the team a minimum of 2 days per week, completing daily scheduled cleaning tasks.

Support the Hospice by acting as a trained First Aider and Fire Warden when required

SERVICE STANDARDS, CLEANLINESS AND COMPLIANCE

Develop, maintain and review clear housekeeping systems, schedules and working practices to ensure high standards of cleanliness, hygiene and infection prevention and control across all departments.

Ensure the Housekeeping Team follows safe working practices and maintains a clean, professional working environment.

Create, review and embed departmental risk assessments and safe systems of work, ensuring staff understand the risks and how to manage them.

Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, Hospice policies and procedures, with particular reference to health and safety, infection prevention and control, waste management and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health requirements.

Maintain accurate digital records, documentation and compliance logs to support safe, consistent and auditable service delivery.

Report accidents, incidents, defects, breakdowns, repairs and maintenance issues through the appropriate Hospice reporting systems.

RESOURCES, STOCK AND SERVICE SUPPORT

Manage allocated resources effectively, including equipment, consumables, uniforms and other service supplies.

Monitor stock levels, ordering processes and approved supplier arrangements to ensure resources are available when needed, waste is minimised and value for money is considered.

Support the procurement and maintenance of cleaning, laundry and housekeeping equipment, ensuring items are suitable, safe and fit for purpose.

Ensure staff are competent and trained in the safe use of equipment.

Support the effective management of clinical waste resources and wider waste arrangements, ensuring safe, compliant and efficient handling.

Maintain and restock first aid boxes within the Hospice, excluding fleet vehicles, in line with agreed schedules.

DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATION AND CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

Support continual development across the team by reviewing policies, procedures and working practices, and sharing updates.

Identify, manage and implement training requirements for the department in line with service needs and Hospice policy.

Lead and support induction for new staff and volunteers, ensuring they understand their role, equipment, standards and safe working expectations.

Promote positive working relationships with staff, volunteers and other departments.

Check emails and communication channels regularly, ensuring key updates, changes and process improvements are shared promptly with the team.

Promote continuous quality improvement through audits, feedback, learning and review of working practices.

OTHER

The responsibilities set out in this document may change from time to time through discussion with the post holder. In addition, the post holder might, at the discretion of the Senior Management Team, be required to take on other tasks in the wider interests of the Hospice.

STANDARD/ENHANCED DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

Standard

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent
• Evidence of relevant training or willingness to complete training required for the role, including mandatory Hospice training.
• Full UK driving license or ability to travel between locations if required for Hospice business

Desirable

• Relevant vocational qualifications in cleaning, housekeeping, facilities, health and safety, supervisory management or equivalent experience.
• Training in infection prevention and control, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, safe use of cleaning equipment, waste management

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Good understanding of cleanliness, hygiene, infection prevention and safe working practices relevant to housekeeping.
• Able to organise, prioritise and monitor work across a busy team and several areas or buildings.
• Clear communication and people skills, with the ability to work constructively with staff, volunteers, managers and other departments.
• Good IT use with experience of using Microsoft 365 Suite and able to use digital systems, email and records to support rotas, compliance logs, communication and service documentation.
• Able to support training and day-to-day team updates.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Care Quality Commission expectations relating to cleanliness, infection prevention and safe care environments.
• Knowledge of stock control and procurement processes.
• Confidence in using commercial housekeeping equipment.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of housekeeping, cleaning or facilities services in a workplace setting, with the ability to maintain standards, schedules and records.
• Experience of supervising or coordinating a team, including organising workloads, priorities, rotas and day-to-day cover.
• Experience of managing stock, supplies or equipment needed to deliver a reliable housekeeping service.

Desirable

• Experience in a healthcare, hospice, care home, hospital or other regulated/public building environment.
• Experience of audits, quality improvement, staff support, induction or reviewing working practices.
• Experience of laundry, clinical waste or wider waste handling arrangements.

Values and Personal Attributes

Essential

• Able to meet the physical requirements of the role, including working operationally alongside the team and completing scheduled cleaning tasks.
• Commitment to the vision, values and charitable aims of St Johns Hospice.
• Reliable, honest and professional, with the ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion.
• Organised, resilient and able to use initiative while remaining calm when priorities change.
• Respectful, approachable, and supportive, promoting good working relationships with staff, volunteers, patients, families and visitors.

Desirable

• Experience of working with or supporting volunteers.
• Interest in continual service improvement and developing effective team systems.