306 Task B Case study and questions

306 Task B Case study and questions

James is 19 years old; he lives with his parents, twice a week he goes bowling or to the cinema with his support workers. They also go with him to the local college where he is studying Horticulture. At his last care planning meeting James expressed a wish to live independently with someone of his own age. His mother is against any change; she has dedicated her life to caring for him since he was diagnosed as having Asperger’s Syndrome. She is particularly worried that James will be at risk because he has limited experience of living independently. She is concerned he will make himself ill because he has limited experience of general health and safety in the kitchen and has no understanding about food safety. She will not discuss it with James or the social care workers. James is very angry with her.

Bi Explain how a risk assessment might help address dilemmas between James’s rights and the health and safety concerns expressed by his mother.

Step 1

Identify the hazards – James health may deteriorate due to high level of anxiety, self harm, aggression.

Step 2

Decide who might be harmed and how – James, staff support or members of public

Step 3

Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions – Gain parents support by explaining how we will support James through this transaction, eg James will have a 24hr support in his new home while settling. All agencies involved in James wellbeing will be informed of changes. And that we will appreciate James parents being fully involved in this process as we fully acknowledge they impact on James life.

Step 4

Record your findings and implement them – will documents all findings, important in supporting and ensuring James leaves as satisfying life.

Bii  Describe the main points of food safety in a social care setting.

• A refrigerator should be set at a temperature of between 0 and 5 degrees C.
• Food should be stored in sealed containers.
• Cooked foods should be placed on the upper shelves, raw food such as meat or fish at the bottom of the fridge.
• Fruit and vegetables should be in the salad drawer.
• Dairy products should be at the top of the fridge, or in the upper door compartment. Opened cans should never be put in the fridge even if covered.

Biii  Using the table below, explain how James should:

Store food safely

• Storing food in the fridge Your fridge temperature should be at 5 °C or below. The freezer temperature should be below -15 °C. Use a thermometer to check the temperature in your fridge. Freezing food safely When shopping, buy chilled and frozen foods at the end of your trip and take them home to store as quickly as possible. On hot days or for trips longer than 30 minutes, try to take an insulated cooler bag or icepack to keep frozen foods cold. Keep hot and cold foods separate while you take them home.  When you arrive home, put chilled and frozen foods into the fridge or freezer immediately. Make sure foods stored in the freezer are frozen hard.  Storing cooked food safely When you have cooked food and want to cool it: Put hot food into shallow dishes or smaller portions to help cool the food as quickly as possible. Don’t put very hot food into the refrigerator. Wait until steam has stopped rising from the food before putting it in the fridge. Avoid refreezing thawed food Food-poisoning bacteria can grow in frozen food while it is thawing, so avoid thawing frozen food in the temperature danger zone. Keep defrosted food in the fridge until it is ready to be cooked. If using a microwave oven to defrost food, cook it immediately after defrosting. As a general rule, avoid refreezing thawed food. Food that is frozen a second time is likely to have higher levels of food-poisoning bacteria. The risk depends on the condition of the food when frozen, and how the food is handled between thawing and refreezing, but raw food should never be refrozen once thawed. Store raw food separately from cooked food Raw food and cooked food should be stored separately in the fridge. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate cold cooked food, and the bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels if the food is not cooked thoroughly again. Always store raw food in sealed or covered containers at the bottom of the fridge. Keep raw foods below cooked foods, to avoid liquid such as meat juices dripping down and contaminating the cooked food. Choose strong, non-toxic food storage containers Make sure your food storage containers are clean and in good condition, and only use them for storing food. Cover them with tight-fitting lids, foil or plastic film to minimise potential contamination. Transfer the contents of opened cans into suitable containers.  If in doubt, throw it out Throw out high-risk food left in the temperature danger zone for more than four hours – don’t put it in the fridge and don’t keep it for later. Check the use-by dates on food products and discard out-of-date food. If you are uncertain of the use-by date, throw it out.

Handle food safely

How should you clean food? Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food. Wash all fruits and vegetables. Use a scrub brush. If you can’t get the skin clean, peel it off. This can help remove dirt and chemicals, like pesticides. A pesticide is a chemical used to keep bugs and other pests away from crops. Wash all fruits and vegetables, even if the package says it’s already been washed. Dry everything with a paper towel or clean cloth. Remove and throw away the outer leaves of leafy green vegetables, like lettuce and spinach. Cut away damaged sections of fruits and vegetables. Wash utensils and cutting boards with hot soapy water after each use. Don’t use cutting boards made of wood. They can hold more germs than other kinds of cutting boards. After preparing food, clean countertops with hot soapy water. How should you separate food? Use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Use a different board for fruits and vegetables. When you’re shopping, keep raw meat, poultry and seafood and their juices separate from other foods. Store raw meat, poultry and seafood in containers so that their juices don’t get on other foods. How should you cook food? Use a food thermometer. It can help you cook food—especially meat—to a safe temperature. You may not be able to tell if a food is fully cooked by how it looks, so use these temperature guidelines: You can buy a thermometer at the grocery store or at home-supply stores where cooking products are sold. When using the microwave, cover the food. Stop cooking to stir the food and rotate the dish to ensure the food’s warm all the way through. When reheating sauces, soups and gravies, bring them to a rolling boil. How should you chill food? Keep the refrigerator at 40 F or below and the freezer at 0 F or below. If you don’t think your temperature is correct, use an appliance thermometer to check it. You can buy this kind of thermometer at hardware or home-supply stores. Refrigerate all fruits and vegetables that have been cut or peeled. Refrigerate all leftovers within 2 hours after eating. Use shallow containers so that the food cools quickly. When you’re ready to use the leftovers, eat them within 2 hours of taking them out of the refrigerator. Thaw meat, poultry and seafood in the refrigerator, not on the counter or in the sink. Don't crowd the refrigerator. This may make it hard to keep food cool and safe.

Dispose of food safely

Kitchen waste can be regarded as any item of food, food packaging material or soiled kitchen cloths which are not suitable for further use. Kitchen bins – these should be conveniently sited, fitted with lids and emptied frequently. A bin liner does not replace regular cleaning and disinfecting. Outside bin store – full, closed bin liners should be placed into external bins with lids. The bin store must be sited away from food storage areas and kept clean and free of pests. Recycling – anything which can be recycled should be washed and recycled. Whilst it is awaiting recycling it must be stored away from food storage areas. Compost Heaps food waste should not be put on a compost heap as it may attract pests. If a compost heap is kept it should be for garden waste only and should be checked weekly as part of pest control monitoring

Biv  Explain the potential consequences of not following food safety standards in a social care setting.

If significant food hazards are not adequately controlled, they could cause cross-contamination of food which could lead to food poisoning