Question 1

Do care staff need a Belehrung under §§ 42, 43 IfSG at all?

Accepted Answer

Not automatically. The duty attaches to your actual tasks, not to your job title. It applies if you handle open food professionally (§ 42 IfSG) or work in a Gemeinschaftseinrichtung (community facility) under § 33 IfSG. Basic and clinical nursing care, documentation or support without contact to open food does not trigger it on its own - in that case you do not need the Belehrung.

Question 2

I hand out meals on the ward - do I need it then?

Accepted Answer

Yes, that is the most common trigger in care work. As soon as you portion trays, put food on plates, make sandwiches, stir in thickening agents or help residents eat, you are handling open food. How often that happens makes no difference - what counts is that it is part of your tasks. If you only pass on sealed portion dishes, the duty does not apply.

Question 3

Does this also apply to the kitchen in a care home or a clinic?

Accepted Answer

Yes, here the situation is clear. Anyone who cooks, portions, loads the tray line or distributes food to the wards in a care home or hospital kitchen needs the Belehrung before their first day of work. The same goes for domestic services, the dining hall and the cafeteria, and for dishwashing staff, because § 42 IfSG also covers handling dishes and cutlery.

Question 4

I cook for clients at home in outpatient care - does that count?

Accepted Answer

That depends on what you actually do at the clients' homes. If you prepare breakfast, cook or plate up food, you are handling open food professionally - then you need the Belehrung, even in a private kitchen. If you only put down a sealed meal tray or heat it up unopened, that is not handling open food. If in doubt, ask your nursing management which services are on your round.

Question 5

Is the Belehrung the same as occupational health screening or G 42?

Accepted Answer

No, those are two different things. Occupational health screening under the ArbMedVV, in care work still often called G 42, is a medical examination that your employer arranges and pays for through the company doctor. The Belehrung under § 43 IfSG, on the other hand, is an instruction session with a certificate. ON7 only offers the Belehrung - the screening still runs through your company doctor.

Question 6

Does the Belehrung cover the measles proof for the clinic?

Accepted Answer

No. Proof of immunity under the Masernschutzgesetz (Measles Protection Act) is a separate duty and is provided via your vaccination record or a doctor's certificate, not via a Belehrung. The same goes for the extended criminal record certificate (erweitertes Führungszeugnis) under § 30a BZRG, which many providers require when you start. These documents are often listed on the same onboarding form, but they have nothing to do with § 43 IfSG.

Question 7

Does the duty also apply to care assistants, trainees and interns?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the work triggers it - contract, pay and qualification make no difference. Anyone who serves meals or helps in the kitchen during a care placement, an FSJ (voluntary social year), training or as a support worker needs the certificate just as much as a registered nurse. If you work exclusively at the bedside without any food involved, the duty does not arise.

Question 8

Do I need a new certificate if I change facility?

Accepted Answer

No, it belongs to you as a person and not to the provider. The Erstbelehrung (initial instruction) has no expiry date. After proper instruction, the certificate is usable nationwide as proof, so you simply show it again at the next care home, hospital or outpatient service. Your new facility then only has to add you to its Folgebelehrungen (follow-up instructions) every two years, because under § 43 Abs. 4 IfSG that is the employer's responsibility.

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Health certificate in nursing care - what you need to know