Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames

The Authority was carrying out internal monitoring of some areas of food and feedingstuffs law enforcement activity, but these arrangements were not fully effective in identifying and addressing problems. There was no evidence of systems to routinely monitor several important areas of activity, such as formal enforcement actions, foodborne disease investigations and follow-up actions required where problems had been identified during inspections and by food sampling or following the service of notices.

A longstanding programme of accompanied inspections was being implemented, but few problems had been recorded. However, the audit identified instances where the Service had not acted in accordance with local procedures and official guidance. These included some activities that had been subject to internal monitoring as well as those that had not.

The Service had developed most of the documented policies and procedures required by the Standard, however many of these had not been reviewed and revised regularly and procedural guidance for some key activities had not been developed. This included prosecutions/formal cautions and the approval and licensing of potentially high risk premises. The Service therefore lacked a comprehensive set of defined standards that could provide a basis for internal monitoring. There were also some inconsistencies in approach between officers that had not been addressed by internal monitoring. This appeared to be due in part to a lack of clear systems and procedures in some areas.

The Authority had participated in an inter authority audit (IAA) scheme sponsored by the Agency in 2000. Most of the problems related to internal monitoring that were first identified in the IAA have again been highlighted by this audit.