Saferfood
betterbusiness
forresidential
carehomessupplement
Olderpeoplearemorelikelytosufferfromfood
poisoning and become ill because aging weakensthe
immunesystem’sabilitytofightinfection.Soitis
importanttotakeextracarewhendealingwithfood
intendedforpeopleinresidentialcare.
Thissupplementisforsmallresidentialcarehomesthat
prepareandcookfoodforpeopleineitherlong-term
orshort-termresidentialcare.Itisnotintendedfor
useinnursinghomes.
Thesafemethodsinthissupplementcoverthefollowingspecificfood-safetyissuesfoundincarehomes:
•Extra care: protectingfood
•Giftfood
•Mini-kitchens
Thesewillhelpyoutoreducethespreadofharmfulbacteriabetweentherestofthecarehomeandthe
kitchen.
YouwillneedtousethissupplementtogetherwiththeSaferfood,betterbusinessforcatererspackandnotonitsown.
Howdoesthissupplementwork?(continued)Remember,thesafemethodsinthesupplementwillnot
provideafoodsafetymanagementsystembythemselves. The supplement should be usedalongsideyour catererspack.
ToorderacopyofSaferfood,betterbusinessforcaterers,pleaseseethe‘WherecanIgetmoreinformation?’ sectionbelow.
Who should take charge of thesupplement?
If I am using Safer food, better business arethereany other requirements that I need tofollow?
Aspartofyourregistrationasacarehomeprovider,youwillneedtocomplywiththenationalminimumstandards(NMS).Youcangetfurtherinformation
ontheNMSfromtheCareQualityCommission(CQC)orthesocialservicesatyourlocalauthority.
Allcarehomesarealsorequiredtohaveaninfectioncontrolpolicy.ForfurtheradviceyoucanrefertotheDepartmentofHealth’s‘Infectioncontrolguidanceforcarehomes’.
HowcanIorderacopyofSaferfood,betterbusiness?
Where can I get moreinformation?Forinformationaboutlisteria,whichisatypeofbacteria
thatcancauseseriousproblemsfortheelderly,see:
food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/enforcement/enfe08055listeria.pdf
Moreinformationonregisteringasacarehomeprovidercanbefoundat:cqc.org.uk/
Informationoninfectioncontrolwithincarehomesisavailable at:
InNorthernIreland:TheRegulationandQualityImprovement Authority
tel:02890517500
In Scotland: The CareInspectorate
tel: 0845 6009527
InWales:CareandSocialServicesInspectorateWales
tel:03000628888
SFBBforresidentialcarehomesFSA/1252/12-12
SafetypointWhy?
Advicetovisitors
It is a good idea to give advice tothefamily and friends of residents abouthow to make sure the food theybringas gifts will be safe to eat. Thismightinclude advice suchas:
•It is best to bring low-riskfoodssuch as washed fruit, biscuitsandchocolate.
•Avoid bringing hotfood.
•Do not use raw egg in foods thatwillnot be cooked thoroughly, suchasmousse, icing anddesserts.
•Store and transport home-madeorunpackaged foods in aclean,sealablecontainer.
•Make sure that any foods with a‘useby’ date, cooked food, or cakesanddesserts containing cream arekeptin the fridge. It is a good ideatotransport these types of food inacool bag or box, especially inhotweather.
You may want to have thisadvicewritten down for family andfriends,and make sure all your staffknowaboutit.
Youcannotbesurethatfoodbroughtbyfamilyandfriendshasbeenhandledsafely,soitisbettertoencourage lower-riskfoods.
Doyouhavewrittenadviceforfamily andfriends?
YesNo
Ifyes,doesitcoverthesafetypointslisted?
YesNo
Ifno,whatadvicedoyougive?
Howdoyouinformfamilyandfriendsofthisadvice?
Storingfood
If family or friends bring foodthatneeds to be kept chilled, make sureitis put in the fridge if it is noteatenstraightaway.
Foods that do not need to bechilled,such as biscuits, should be stored inacleancontainerwithalid.
SafetypointWhy?
Donatedfood
If you accept donations of food fromasupermarket, charity orotherorganisation, you need to beconfidentthat they handle food safely.Considerthe followingthings:
•Is the food stored, packedandtransportedinahygienicway?
•Is the packagingundamaged?
•Are chilled and frozen foodskeptcold/frozen untildelivered?
•Are foods within their ‘use by’datewhen delivered? Never usefoodsthathavepassedtheir‘useby’date.
If you cannot be confident thattheorganisation donating foodhandlesit safely, it is safest not toacceptdonationsoffoodfromthatorganisation, or to onlyaccept
low-risk foods, suchas:
•Foods with a ‘best before’date
e.g.tinsorbiscuits.
•Other foods that do not need tobechilled e.g. fruit andvegetables.
Itisessentialforyoutomakesurethatanyfoodyouacceptasadonationissafeforresidentstoeat.
Ifthereisaproblemwithaparticularfoodyouwillhaveaclearrecordofwherethefoodcamefrom.
Whatdoyoudo?
•Ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutthesafetyofdonatedfood,throwitaway.
•Ifaresident’sfamilyorfriendsbringtypesoffoodas
giftsthatareunsuitable,discussyouradvicewiththem
andwhythisisimportant.
SFBBforresidentialcarehomesRC/MAN7/12-12
Safemethod:
Extra care: protecting food
Itisveryimportanttoprotectfoodfromharmfulbacteriathat could be spread by other activities in the care home.
Safetypoint
Handwashing
Anyone who works with foodshouldwash their hands before handlingit.In particular, people with caredutiesshouldalsowashtheirhandsafter:
•helping residents e.g. use thetoilet
•emptying bed pans or usingmedicalequipment
•touching dirty linen andclothing
•handling pets or their feedingbowls
Formoreadviceseethe'Handwashing’Safe method in the Cleaningsection.
Harmful bacteria can spread veryeasilyfrompeople’shandstofood,worksurfacesandequipment.Handwashingisoneofthebestwaystopreventthesebacteriaspreading.
Howdoyoumakesurestaffwash their hands at thesetimes?
Foodstorage
•Do not use food past its ‘useby’date
•Makesurefridgesareoperatingbelow5°C
•Follow the storage instructionsonfoodlabels
Thesecheckswillhelpprotectresidentsfrombacteriathatcouldcauseillnessinolderpeople.Forfurther information gotofood.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/enforcement/enfe08055listeria.pdf
Arestafftrainedtomakethesechecks?
YesNo
Thispreventsharmfulbacteriafromspreadingtofoodpreparationareas.
Howdoyoudothis?
Meals
If care staff help during meals,theyshould wash their handsthoroughlyand put on a clean or disposableapronbeforeservingfoodorfeedingresidents.
Staff should make sure visitorswashtheir hands thoroughly beforehelpingto feedresidents.
Visitors should not be allowedinthekitchen.
Thishelpstopreventharmfulbacteriaspreadingtofoodfromhandsoruniforms.
Arecarestafftrainedtowashtheirhandsandwearapronsbeforeservingfood?
YesNo
Whattypeofaprondocarestaffwearwhenhelpingwithmeals?
Safetypoint
Thishelpstopreventharmfulbacteriaspreadingfromlaundrytofood.
Doyouhaveseparatelaundryfacilities?
YesNo
Ifnot,whatdoyoudo?
Cloths and cleaningequipment
Do not allow kitchen cloths andotherkitchen cleaning equipment, suchasmops to be used outside thekitchen.
Ideally, use disposable cloths orpapertowels whereverpossible.
Thisistopreventharmfulbacteriaspreadingtothekitchen.
Howdoyoukeepkitchencloths and cleaningequipmentseparatefromthoseusedoutsidethekitchen?
Medicines
Ideally, medicines that need toberefrigerated should bestoredseparately fromfood.
Thishelpstoavoidcross-contamination.Howdoyoukeepmedicines
separatedfromfood?
Pets
If you have any pets in thecarehome, do not allow them (ortheirfeeding bowls or otherequipment)intothekitchenorotherfoodpreparation/storageareas.
Petsandtheirbowls/equipmentcanspreadharmfulbacteriatofood.
Doyouhaveanypetsinthecarehome?
YesNo
Ifyes,whatdoyoudotomakesurepetsandtheirfeedingbowlsarekeptoutofthekitchenandstorageareas?
What to do if things go wrongHow to stop this happeningagain
•Ifyouthinkthatstaffhavenotwashedtheirhandsbeforepreparingfood,askthemtowashtheirhandsimmediatelyandthrowawayanyfoodtheyhavetouched.
•Ifamemberofstaffisnotwearingacleanordisposableapronwhenservingfood,askthemtoputoneonimmediatelyandreplaceanyfoodtheyhaveserved.
•Ifyouthinkthatakitchenclothhasbeenusedinanotherareaofthecarehome,throwawaythecloth.
•Ifdirtylaundryoralaundrybaskethasbeenputontoaworksurface,removeitandwashanddisinfectthesurface.
•Washanddisinfectanyequipment,surfaceorutensiltouched bypets.
SFBBforresidentialcarehomesRC/CC9/12-12
Safetypoint
Some care homes haveadditionalkitchens and food preparationareasthat can be used by residentsandstaff, these are sometimes referredtoasmini,satelliteorservicekitchens.
Include these mini-kitchens andfoodstorage areas on yourcleaningschedule, or have a separatecleaningschedule forthem.
You may also want to includewhoisresponsibleforthecleaning.
The items you include willdependon the equipment that is inthemini-kitchen. You might wanttoinclude service trolleys, traysandother equipment usedfor
foodservice.
Anyareawherefoodispreparedorstoredneedstobekeptclean.Havingmini-kitchensonyourcleaningschedulewillhelpstaffto rememberthem.
How do you dothis?
Haveyou:
•addedyourmini-kitchen(s)toyourcleaningschedule?
YesNo
•writtenaseparatecleaningschedule?
YesNo
Thishelpstomaintainstandardsoffood hygiene in theseareas.
Always make sure themini-kitchenis clean before preparing orservingmeals, especially if it is alsousedby residents withoutsupervision.
See the ‘Cleaning effectively’Safemethod for advice oncleaning.
Itisveryimportanttocleanandthendisinfectworksurfacesandotherareasorequipmentthatcomeintocontactwithfood,eveniftheydonotlookdirty.Thisisbecauseyoucannotbesurehowtheyhavebeenusedbeforehandandtheymayhaveharmfulbacteriaonthem.
Howdoyoumakesurethe
mini-kitcheniscleanbeforefoodisprepared?
SFBBforresidentialcarehomesRC/CL5/12-12
Safemethod
Chilling
ChilledstorageanddisplayingchilledfoodChillingdownhotfood
DefrostingFreezing
Cooking
Cookingsafely
FoodsthatneedextracareReheating
Checking yourmenuHot holding
Ready-to-eatfoods
Management
Opening and closingchecksExtrachecks
Proveit
Training andsupervisionCustomers
Suppliers andcontractorsStockcontrol
Giftfood
DateSignatureSafemethodnot
relevant tomybusiness – tickifthis is thecase
SFBBforresidentialcarehomesRC/MAN6/12-12