Kettering
Wednesday 25 September 2002
12-14 March 2002
Despite a prolonged period of staff shortages affecting the Food Service, the Authority had recently introduced a set of relevant policies and procedures and was able to demonstrate a good general level of conformance with the Standard.
The quality of inspection reports and follow-up letters was identified in particular as a strength of the Authority.
The Authority does however need to ensure that effective internal monitoring systems are implemented to confirm conformance across all areas of the Standard, and needs to address the problems identified with formal enforcement action.
The Authority's Strengths
Inspection Reports and Follow-up Letters
The standard inspection reports used by the Authority, and the format and content of follow-up letters were very comprehensive, and provided clear and easy to understand details of legal requirements and advice for business proprietors.
Key Areas for Improvement
Improvement Notices
There were a number of significant errors in the drafting and service of improvement notices. This highlighted the need for additional staff training in this area, so that in future notices are drawn up and administered in accordance with official guidance and the relevant Food Safety Act Codes of Practice.
Internal Monitoring
The internal monitoring procedure needs to be expanded to cover all areas of enforcement activity, and then fully implemented so that the Authority can ensure that it is in full conformance with the Standard and with its own policies and procedures.
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