Care & Nursing Home

Catering Solution

We have worked hard with the catering team and clients to provide a menu that suits the preferences of the residents in each location but that will also meet the nutritional guidelines. We have improved the quality of the food service in taste, flavour, and presentation. We have far fewer issues with residents losing weight and their appetite for the meals has greatly improved.

The texture modified meals are hugely different now. The staff are trained in texture modification and know the IDDSI levels and how to create them. Both locations have a Chef Manual which details the recipes for each dish and includes the instructions on how to adapt for each level for the texture descriptors as well as details of adaptations for other special diets. We have worked hard with ensuring the presentation of the dishes is attractive and encourages the residents to eat well.

 We have also worked an extensive programme of training with the clients care staff as well as at their regional offices to provide Texture modification training for their care and catering staff in all their many other care locations in Scotland. We have also done a full programme of nutritional training with one of their Chefs as a pilot scheme to promote their knowledge and development. 

Cleaning & Housekeeping Services

On top of our successful catering service, we also provide housekeeping services.

During this difficult period of dealing with the pandemic a dedicated housekeeping manager was put in place to ensure that infection control procedures are continually, and consistently in line with latest government directives and Covid guidelines.

Regular meetings with the client have proved vital in ensuring the needs and safety of the residents and staff.

Infection, along with track and trace safety measures, have made staffing challenging throughout the care sector, and we have not been immune. However, the consistency of this service is vital, and certain processes and procedures cannot be missed; Cedar Revive have managed and mitigated against any gaps in the service. **

As a further measure to ensure infection prevention and control, Cedar Revive have provided a minibus with a dedicated Driver to avoid staff using public transport to travel to and from work. The minibus is set up with plans for social distancing and is sanitised after each journey. 

 As per the guidelines, we changed staffing rotas to ensure that no staff members moved between locations and stayed in one place. To ensure kitchen staff, housekeeping staff and care & nursing home managers were adequately supported through this time, Fionnuala Douglas, part of the Cedar Revive Management Team, was designated solely housekeeping services.  This also provided contingency for any staff shortages.

Our hygiene, health and safety policies, protocols and records were reviewed to ensure they met the necessary levels for food safety and Covid 19 guidelines.       

For Housekeeping we followed and then updated the Cleaning Schedule as soon as new guidance was issued and received. This was issued to staff and discussed at the morning meeting to ensure quick adoption. 

We introduced a Staff Protocol for dealing with COVID 19 to ensure staff were fully updated on the rules for use of PPE and Infection Control when cleaning Resident’s rooms and the Home as a whole. 

Throughout this service, and since the pandemic began, we have been in constant communication with both The HSE and Health & Safety advisors at Peninsula Business Safe. They have advised us on protocols, risk assessments, information posters for staff.

** Additional advice was taken from the following sources:

Other hygiene standards

• COVID-19 Information and Guidance for Care Home Settings (Adults and Older People) Health Protection Scotland. April 2020 plus updates.
• National Infection Prevention & Control Manual.
• Food Standards Scotland Guidance for Food Business Operators and Their Employees. April 2020 plus updates.
• National Clinical and Practice Guidance for Adult Care Homes in Scotland during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  April 2020 plus updates.
• COVID-19: Guidance for the remobilisation of services within health and care settings. August 2020.
• COVID-19 Interim Guidance on the Extended use of Face Masks and Face Coverings in Hospitals, Primary Care, Wider Community Care and Adult Care Homes. September 2020.
• Housekeeping Supervisor trained their staff using Toolbox Talk on Covid 19. And staff were issued with the COVID which is. 

Online e-learning training with Business Safe was given to housekeeping staff.

Additional measures:

• Posters on social distancing, hand hygiene and PPE – copies were laminated and hung in the kitchen and in the housekeeping office, Chemical store, and staff room after discussion with staff on correct procedures.
• Hand hygiene checks were done regularly by the Chef Manager and Housekeeping Supervisor.
• Chemicals checked against information from Food Standards Scotland regarding the need for sanitiser to meet EN14476:2019 standard.  Supply was changed to a product which met this standard, and training was given to staff on its use.
• It was essential for us to give clear guidance and information about the Dilution chart – this gives the information about which products to use and in which dilution to follow the guidance on having sufficient strength of bleach solution to eliminate COVID 19 as per the guidance in the COVID-19: Information and Guidance for Care Home Settings (Adults and Older People)
• COSHH and data sheets were added to the information file.  Online training for hazardous substances was made available to Chef Manager and Housekeeping Supervisor.
• At the morning meeting all staff were trained on Protocol for dealing with COVID 19, to inform the housekeeping staff about infection control measures

We arranged the implementation of a plated hot trolley service when the residents were in their rooms and not using the dining room. This eliminated the contact between kitchen staff and residents, whilst ensuring that the meals were presented well and served warm and to the highest standards. This trolley was filled as per the order for the resident choice of dish and was delivered in a socially distanced way to the door of the care home. Once the trolley was returned, it was cleaned down and sanitised. 

The Housekeeping Policy was updated and signed by all staff. This was done as new guidance was received to ensure it continued to contain the most up to date information.