Medical diet step-by-step guide for schools
Medical diets are a very important part of our catering provision in schools, to ensure school meals are available for everyone and include children with food allergies, intolerances and special dietary requirements. It is also a legal requirement within the Food Safety Act that allergens and intolerances are handled and managed effectively. The procedure we have in place ensures that we fulfil all food safety requirements.
We work in partnership with your school as it is crucial that the process is a joint approach between the child, parent or guardian, school and Gateshead School Catering. We want to ensure that every pupil has the opportunity to have a school lunch.
To provide safe meals for pupils with medical diets, we want the school to work with us and follow the steps below:
Step 1
When a parent or guardian makes you aware of a pupil with an allergen, intolerance, or medical dietary requirement, they need to be given two documents:
1. Medical diet application form - this is an application for the parent or guardian, who will need to read and sign that they understand the process and step-by-step procedure.
2. Medical diet form (DOC 1.) this is the document which contains necessary details and a photo of the pupil concerned. This document must be supported with a copy of relevant correspondence from doctor or dietitian. Please note that 'medical diet' also includes pupils with diabetes requiring carbohydrates count and pupils with dysphagia. Pupils with lifestyle choices such has veganism, or religious requirements must refer to the Alternative diet procedure.
Please pass these documents to the parent, or the parent can contact Gateshead School Catering direct at: cateringandcleaning@gateshead.gov.uk or 0191 433 5522.
Step 2
Once the Medical diet application form and Medical diet form (DOC 1.) are completed and received by the school office, they must be forwarded to cateringandcleaning@gateshead.gov.uk. Parents or guardians may send these direct if they prefer to, along with the medical correspondence. Due to the severity of some medical diet requirements, we might request a face-to-face meeting with the parent and a school representative.
Step 3
Gateshead School Catering will either contact the parent or guardian and provide suitable menu choices or send a hard copy via the school office.
Step 4
Parent or guardian will be required to highlight the dishes that the pupil will consume (one main meal and one dessert). The choices will be put onto a specially designed Medical menu diet template. The copy of the agreed menu and Medical diet form (DOC 1.) will be passed to the unit manager in the kitchen once complete.
The completed Medical diet form (DOC 1.) and Special Menu Diet Template will be displayed in the kitchen (the parent or guardian will give permission for this when signing the Medical diet form (DOC 1.).
Additional notes
In cases where the allergy is for nuts or peanuts, or individual allergens such as kiwi, tomato or pineapple, the Medical diet form (DOC 1.) might be sufficient and a menu might not be provided. This decision will be made by a school catering representative after an evaluation of the requirements.
While waiting for their Medical diet form (DOC 1.) or menu choices from the parent or guardian, the pupil can be provided with a suitable jacket potato, filling, mixed salad and fresh fruit option, or alternatively bring a packed lunch from home.
Until the Medical diet application form and Medical diet form (DOC 1.) have been completed and returned with the correct correspondence, menu provided, choices received, and the kitchen team briefed, we cannot take liability for any potential allergic cross-contamination.
Some gluten free, milk free and egg free equivalent ingredients or dish components are dependent on supplier availability. We may not be able to offer the full range of products that parents or guardians use at home.
The menu changes annually in September. The parent or guardian is required to email cateringandcleaning@gateshead.gov.uk or contact the school office to request a new menu.
Additionally the Medical diet form (DOC 1.) with updated photo and relevant details must be updated before the beginning of each new academic year.
If a parent or guardian contacts the School Catering team directly about a medical diet requirement we will contact the school to make them aware. In some cases, we will ask the parent or guardian to collect a Medical diet form and the Medical diet application form from the school.
Any changes to the menu offer must not be made without being communicated with Gateshead School Catering team and the menu must be rewritten and displayed accordingly alongside Doc 1. The menu cannot be changed at the request of the school or parent without consultation.
The process from parent or guardian being given the relevant form to being able to offer a pupil an appropriate menu may take up to three weeks. In the meantime the kitchen can only offer a jacket potato with a suitable filling, mixed salad and fresh fruit.