MPFT is a totally smoke free Trust. Visitors are therefore not permitted to smoke at any of our sites.
As a health provider, we have a responsibility to reduce smoking and in-turn the serious illnesses it causes. Being smoke free is a step we have taken as part of our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our staff, patients and visitors.
Please visit our wellbeing page for links to local resources to help quit smoking.
When people are in hospital or receiving care they are at increased risk of food related stomach upsets from food related bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes or salmonella. This can be difficult to treat and have serious life threatening consequences to the individual, and even contribute to death. Making sure that food is fresh, safe, and stored correctly is important to us.
Remember to wash your hands before eating or preparing food.
Food hygiene regulation
To ensure the safety of our service users we must comply with The Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations 2013.
Hot food
We discourage the supply of hot food to our service users by their friends, relatives or carers. Food cannot be reheated due to the food hygiene risks. The Trust's catering services make every effort to meet the needs of our service users. Please ask a staff member for more information on what is available.
What you can bring in
You may wish to bring in some additional snacks. You are welcome to bring in sealed and pre packed:
- Confectionary
- Bottled or canned drinks
- Cakes (excluding cream-cakes)
- Crisps or crackers
- Washed fruit
These items must be stored in a sealable plastic container or bag in the bedside locker.
What you must not bring in
Due to the high risk of stomach upsets or infections the following foods must not be brought in:
- Raw meat
- Raw poultry
- Raw fish
- Raw eggs
- Un-pasteurised milk
- Pâté
- Soft, blue veined, mould ripened cheeses
We discourage higher risk foods being brought in:
- Cooked meat or meat products
- Cooked fish or fish products / pastes
- Cooked eggs or egg products
- Ready prepared foods
- Sandwiches (either homemade or pre-packed)
- Take away meals
- Pasteurised dairy products such as yogurt or milk
- Fresh or synthetic cream
We cannot guarantee they have been cooked and stored in-line with the Food Hygiene Regulation and are safe to eat.
Special diets
If your relative or friend has swallowing difficulties, they may need modified textured foods and or thickened drinks. If you are unsure of what is safe for them to eat or drink, please contact the person in charge of their care, the speech and language therapist or the dietitian.
What to do if you wish to bring in higher risk foods?
If you want to bring these high risk foods in please ensure:
- Use a cool-bag to keep it below 5ºC during transit
- The food is in a sealed plastic container or original packaging unopened
- The service user's name is clearly marked on the container
- The date and time it was brought in is clearly marked on the container
- Hand it to a member of the nursing team
Please note to prevent the risk of contamination ward staff will:
- Throw away all perishable food after 24 hours
- Throw away all opened perishable food within 3 hours