Berwick upon Tweed

Monday 11 November 2002

25-27 June 2002

There were significant operational and managerial deficiencies in the delivery of the food law enforcement service. Major problems with the database and manual recording systems meant that the accuracy of management reports and statistical returns could not be guaranteed. There had also been very little progress in developing policies and procedures aimed at improving consistency in the Service.

A large number of food hygiene inspections were overdue and high risk food premises including Approved Premises were not being prioritised for inspection.

File records were missing or very limited for general premises, Approved Premises, butchers' shops and for the investigation of food related infectious diseases. There was insufficient information in many cases to determine whether appropriate follow-up enforcement action was being taken, but there was evidence that a number of butchers' shops had been trading without the necessary licence.

Key Areas for Improvement:

Frequency of Inspections – Inspections of general and Approved Premises had not been carried out at the minimum risk-based frequencies required by Food Safety Act Code of Practice No. 9: Food Hygiene Inspections. Of particular concern was the number of high risk premises which were significantly overdue. The minimum frequencies determined by the Code of Practice risk rating scheme are devised to ensure that enforcement authorities are regularly monitoring food safety in businesses and to enable timely interventions to be made when necessary.

Records – File records for premises and actions were either missing or insufficiently detailed to determine in full whether officers were always carrying out their duties in line with the relevant legislation and official guidance. The details retained following inspections of general premises, Approved Premises and butchers licensing assessments were inadequate and insufficient to permit effective monitoring. Adequate and retrievable records are also important so that subsequent officers can be aware of premises’ histories of compliance and to enable appropriate enforcement decisions to be made in a staged approach.

Database – The Authority's database and manual recording systems did not provide an accurate or complete record of activity. At the time of the audit, the systems were not capable of providing accurate statistical information to the Food Standards Agency. Recording systems need to be accurate to ensure that all food premises are included within the inspection programme, that reliable information on enforcement activity can be provided to the Agency for comparative purposes, and to enable effective work planning and internal monitoring to be carried out.

Approval of Premises and Butchers’ Shop Licensing – A number of butchers' shops appeared to have been trading illegally without a licence for some time. There were no records of any assessments of butchers' shops compliance with the requirements of the relevant legislation and there was no evidence of any follow up action taken. File information on Approved Premises was also very limited and inspection and enforcement at Approved Premises was not being prioritised. Timely and appropriate enforcement of the legal requirements relating to butchers' shops and Approved Premises is important to ensure that any risks associated with these premises are identified and controlled.

Food Sampling – A food sampling policy, programme and procedures had not been drawn up and there was no evidence that food sampling was targeted to take account of products prepared locally from high risk establishments. Food sampling needs to be appropriately targeted in order to form an effective part of the Authority’s food law enforcement programme.

Documented Policies and Procedures – Little progress had been made in developing and implementing the policies and procedures required by the Standard in the Framework Agreement. This has resulted in inconsistencies in approach and does not provide a sound basis for effective internal monitoring.