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?

•Ifyouhaveanydoubtsaboutthesafetyofdonated
food,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