Food Safety Advice for Family and Visitors:
Meals and Foods Brought Into the Banksia Unit for Patients
The Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Services – Banksia Unit has developed an approved Food Safety Program that meet the Government Legislation ensuring that all food prepared, cooked and served for our patients is of a high standard meeting all the guidelines from the Victorian Food Act and Food Premises Code.
The Food Safety Program helps to ensure that all food consumed by our patients is safe.
As part of the Food Safety Program we allow family members and friends to bring food and special treats into the unit as it helps enhance their quality of life, providing it meets the standard of food safety. This especially relates to high-risk food, which can deteriorate rapidly if transported under incorrect conditions. Poor food handling and transporting practices could result in patients becoming very ill with food poisoning symptoms that could be fatal.
Foods considered high risk include poultry, fish, seafood, meats (both raw and cooked), eggs (both raw and cooked) cooked rice and pasta, sandwiches and dairy products (e.g. cream cakes and custard type fillings, milk products). These foods need to be kept at below 5°C during transportation. Food that must be reheated must be transported cold and refrigerated on arrival. The re-heating will be done in a microwave by the staff on request. When re-heating it is important that the food be brought to the boil or to above 75°C. Our staff are trained in safe food handling practices and will monitor the correct re-heating process.
Care must be taken during food preparation to ensure good hygiene practices and correctly cleaned and sanitised working surfaces are used. Cooked foods must be cooled and then stored in clean covered food grade containers as quickly as possible (within one hour) in a refrigerator.
When bringing food into the unit ensure it is labelled with:
1. Patient’s name,
2. Date of preparation,
3. Date of delivery and,
4. Main ingredients used e.g. seafood, chicken, eggs etc.
Only transport cold food and keep at below 5°C by using an insulated container “Esky” and ice packs.
Upon delivery to the unit nursing staff or ward support staff will record that a meal has been brought from home in the “Sign In book”, check it doesn’t contain any nut products and refrigerate immediately.
Please note that food can only be reheated or served once and then it will be discarded.
Foods not served will be disposed of after 24 hours.
The Banksia Unit is committed to a nut free policy and therefore any foods containing nuts are not permitted on the unit.
We thank you for your assistance and co-operation in this area of Food Safety.
Royal Children’s Hospital – Banksia Unit “Meals & Food Brought From Home Handout” (BU12.2) 15/07/2009