A new food allergy training course for staff working with vulnerable people in a variety of residential care settings has been developed as part of the National Allergy Strategy. The course is intended for staff working in aged care and other residential care, transitional care, respite care, rehabilitation care, mental health, disability, drug and alcohol, quarantine facilities and services, correctional and detention facilities, hospices and other overnight, short and long stay facilities.

The new e-training course, All about Allergens for Residential Care is provided free of charge on the National Allergy Strategy Food Allergy Training platform (www.foodallergytraining.org.au). It is designed to assist food service staff and staff who supervise residents when they are eating or participating in food-related activities, to gain knowledge about food allergies and best practice procedures. The course is suitable for cooks, chefs and kitchen staff, nurses and care staff, service managers and supervisors, allied health professionals including dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and diversional and recreational therapists working in a residential care setting.

Through engagement with stakeholders working in this sector, this course reflects an understanding of unique challenges in providing food to residents with food allergy. Residents who may be incapable of, or have difficulty with communicating about their food allergy, have less control in preparing their own food. However, some residents are transient, having greater autonomy and mobility, which may put others who are less able, at greater risk. Staff preparing food and supervising mealtimes in these settings need practical training and best-practice safety processes that are versatile to the environment in which they work. We have seen high demand for food allergy training from food service staff working in the aged care sector particularly, and we now have a specific course relevant to this group.

This news item was issued on 9 August 2022 by Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA, the peak professional body for clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.