Kitchen and Meals
Meals are prepared and cooked fresh each day by a team of
professional chefs using conventional cooking methods in compliance
with specifications laid down by the Health Services standard
recipe manual.
Strict disciplines are maintained throughout the operation, from
receiving raw commodities to despatching completed meals via a
plated meal delivery service to the patient's bedside.
Responsibilities also encompass cleaning of premises, plant and
associated equipment, whilst working within the constraints of the
Food Hygiene Regulations and Health and Safety at Work Act
1974.
In total the main kitchen caters for in excess of 3,000 meals
per day, including special diets for patients as requested by the
Trust Dieticians.
Patients are offered a menu each day with a choice of hot and
cold meals to choose from at lunch and supper time, this also
includes a continental breakfast and fresh fruit each day. We can
also provide foil packed and sealed ethnic meals e.g. Kosher and
Halal. In addition to this the Department runs the on-site vending
service and Trust hospitality.
Food Hygiene Inspections
The results of our food hygiene inspections can be found on the
internet web site accessible via www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. This is
based on criteria specified in a Code of Practice produced by the
Food Standards Agency. Three elements resulting from the food
hygiene score are combined to give a score for a star rating and
these are described below. The level of compliance with the law is
reflected by the number of stars that are awarded.
- The general level of compliance with food hygiene and safety
procedures, including food handling practices and temperature
control,
- The general level of compliance with structural requirements
including cleanliness, layout, and facilities provided etc,
- Confidence in management/control systems. Confidence in
management is scored on the basis of the results achieved and
observed and includes the history of compliance, appreciation of
hazards and control measures and the availability and
implementation of a written satisfactory food safety management
system.
Once these and the inherent risks (for example, type of food,
number of consumers served, special processes) have been
considered, the risk rating score is used to calculate the minimum
inspection frequency. In addition, the scores gained from the above
three categories will be used to calculate the 'star' rating - a
'scores on the doors' scheme whereby the star rating for each
premises will be posted on the Council's website.