Publish date: 4 December 2023

The Food Safety Policy states “under no circumstances must the microwave be used to reheat patients’ food”. This is due to the risk of patient food poisoning.

If food is prepared and cooked in an ADL therapy session and is not eaten it should not be reheated at a later time/date for consumption as this poses a risk of food poisoning. This also includes not sharing cooked food with other patients on the ward who were not involved in the therapeutic cooking session.  

All staff supporting patients in the preparation and cooking of food are required to attend relevant Food Safety / Hygiene training as outlined in the procedure for use and access to the Trustwide ADL (Activity of daily living) kitchens. If staff require support in accessing this training, please contact LearningandDevelopment@merseycare.nhs.uk for further information.