Head Housekeeper

At our brand new care home for older people in Bracknell, our skilled and experienced team will provide a wide range of quality round-the-clock care services in stunning hotel-style surroundings. At Bickerton House, we will treat every person we care for with dignity and respect. We will create life story books full of information about their life and family, their hobbies and preferences – no detail will be too small. When we understand their likes and dislikes and how they like to spend their day, we will create care and lifestyle plans unique to them.

Job Summary

Creating spotless, hospitable and comfortable care homes where residents love to live is vital to what we do at Care UK.

Care UK is one of the UK’s leading providers of health and social care services. As our Head Housekeeper you’ll be central to making our home a palace for residents, their guests and visitors alike.

You’ll lead and supervise the hostess, housekeeping and laundry teams to ensure the home meets the highest standards of hospitality and cleanliness at all times. Daily tasks might include updating the team rota to ensure we’re fully staffed, liaising with residents about the best times to clean their rooms. Above all, you’ll ensure residents and their guests don’t want for anything and that everything runs smoothly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Are you an experienced head housekeeper - you could be from any sector – and keen to take on a role with more meaning? Are you a great supervisor with a positive ‘can do’ attitude and superb people skills? Do you have a warm personality and great sense of humour that makes you popular with everyone? If so, we’ll treat you to flexible hours and a competitive rate of pay that will add sparkle to your career.

Responsible To Home Manager
 

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and maintain a 4 week Rota, ensuring the Housekeeping and Hostess teams are adequately staffed at all times.
• To instruct the Housekeeping team in their role and required duties / allocation.
• To instruct the Hostess team in their required duties.
• To provide hospitality services to residents and their guests. Serving meals, snacks and beverages at their request in the location of their choice.
• Daily to ensure all displayed menus and meal information throughout the home is correct and up to date.
• To consult with residents on a regular basis to ensure that their needs and choices are being met. Obtain feedback from residents and staff regarding cleaning and laundry quality to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the home and our residents at all times.
• To ensure that all cleaning and laundry consumables are ordered from current nominated suppliers in line with Company purchasing policy.
• To ensure stock takes are carried out at the end of each month.
• To work within agreed budget guidelines on staff costs and consumables and to co-operate in any action necessary so as to keep to budget.
• To implement and maintain cleaning schedules for the entire home and ensure that they are adhered too.
• To ensure cleaning of all areas of the home are to the highest standard, including grounds.
• Establish and maintain a rapport with individual residents and agree a convenient time to carry out cleaning of their personal rooms.
• To organise deep cleaning duties when required.
• To ensure the laundry of residents clothing is to the highest standard, including ironing.
• Ensure the Laundry team collect and return laundry to the correct area of the home on a regular basis, and put away personal clothing of residents in a neat and tidy manner.
• Ensure that all residents’ wardrobes and clothing drawers are kept clean, neat and tidy.
• Ensure deliveries are checked against order forms and ensure that invoices are accurate, and to action any discrepancies immediately.
• Ensure catering, cleaning and laundry supplies are stored safely and used effectively to minimise wastage.
• Maintain a high standard of hygiene within the home and adhere to COSSH guidelines.
• Maintain health and safety in the home by adhering to the company’s policies and procedures at all times, including instructions in the Facilities Manual.
• To co-operate with requests from the Home Manager and residents wherever possible.
• To attend resident/relative meetings whenever possible.

Skills & Experience

• Experience of supervising a team of staff.
• To understand and ability to adhere to infection control, health and safety/COSHH guidelines
• Proven communication skills both written and verbal.
• Proven ability to organise priorities.
• To recruit, motivate and lead a team of staff
• Ability to appreciate the needs of others
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work unsupervised, using initiative and maintain professional standards, even when under pressure
• Flexible to meet the needs of the home
• Smart appearance, good personal hygiene standards.
• Sense of humour and a lively, sociable personality
• Shares ideas with others [to make improvements]
• Keen to learn and improve own performance
• Committed to communicate with customers to understand their needs
• Will go the extra mile to help fulfil customers’ needs
• Has a ‘can-do’ attitude to work
• Enjoys working effectively as part of a team

Qualifications

• GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and Maths