Jersey Prison Service's policies regarding food (FOI)

​​​​Request​

A

Regarding the food provided in prison to prisoners from the servery, are staff able to help themselves before the needs of prisoners?  Do staff have to write down what they help themselves to?

B

Is lunch provided and snacks provided to all Government of Jersey employees?

C

What meals are provided in hospital to patients, and to prisoners iin prison who are diabetic?

D

Information from Diabetes Jersey provides list of foods to avoid or enjoy.  Please provide a list of foods that make up this avoid and enjoy list.

E

Why does the Government of Jersey when providing food for patients or prisoners, use saturated fats like margarine or mayonnaise when these are listed on avoid lists and can increase cholesterol?

F

How do members of the public complain about ethical behaviour about staff of the Government of Jersey and are complaints taken seriously?

Response

A

The food served from the wing serveries are for prisoners only.  Staff should not help themselves to meals provided for prisoners.

B

Prison employees can pre-order and pay for meals daily.  They also have access to the prison canteen where they can purchase a variety of snacks and drinks. 

All States of Jersey employees are not provided with lunch and snacks.

C & E

Prisoners select meal choices from a varied menu.  All dietary requirements are identified through the reception process and the prison Healthcare department inform the kitchen of any medical reasons for dietary adjustments.  They do not, however, advise on foods to avoid unless a prisoner has recently been diagnosed or on assessment. The prisoners are aware of the food supplied and they choose what to select. 

Menu choices across hospital sites are available to meet a variety of dietary requirements. Those with complex needs will be reviewed and meal choices guided by clinical teams, including dietitians. All patients are treated with the same level of care, including any individual admitted from the Prison service. Consideration of individual dietary needs is an essential part of care provision.

Menu advice and choices for patients (including those with diabetes) during acute admission to hospital will depend on the clinical state. Patients who are not at risk of malnutrition are encouraged to choose meals indicated as 'heart healthy' in line with healthy eating guidelines, and suitable choices indicated for patients with diabetes.

Patients identified as malnourished (including those with diabetes) will have tailored dietary advice depending upon their clinical situation. This may be to continue with heart healthy options, but might also include following a high calorie and / or high protein diet (as indicated on the menu). This would be part of the patient’s nutritional care plan.

A working group is reviewing current nutritional provision against guidelines for hospital food and drink provision for patients. Health and Community Services has a duty to provide food to meet the nutritional needs of a wide demographic of patients, with or without diabetes – often through acute periods of illness - and respond to changes in the clinical state accordingly.

D

This information is not held by the States of Jersey Prison Service. Therefore article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. F

Any concerns regarding Prison staff can be reported by the public or prisoners to any member of the Prison Service or by writing to the Deputy Governor.  

The Government of Jersey use the Customer Feedback Management System (CFMS). This information is publicly available here:

Customer feedback policy (gov.je)​

Article applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.​​