Reigate and Banstead Borough Council

Food Safety Service Plan - 2 -

REIGATE AND BANSTEAD BOROUGH COUNCIL

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

FOOD SAFETY SERVICE PLAN 2005/06-8

Section No. / Section Heading / Page
1 / Service Aims and Objectives / 1
2 / Background / 2
3 / Service Delivery / 5
4 / Resources / 10
5 / Quality Assessment / 11
6 / Review / 11
Appendix / 1 / Organizational structure / 13
Appendix / 2 / Food Safety Action Plan / 14
Appendix / 3 / Sampling Programme / 18
Appendix / 4 / Health Promotion Programme / 19
Appendix / 5 / Staff Working in Food Law Enforcement / 20
Appendix / 6 / Performance Against Aims and Objectives / 21
Appendix / 7 / Service Plan - Pest Control / 23
Appendix / 8 / Pest Control Action Plan / 25

Section 1 - Service Aims and Objectives

1.1 / Aims and Objectives / Environmental Health Services works for the protection and enhancement of the community in regard to public health, safety and welfare, and the environment. This is achieved through the exercise of statutory duties and enforcement powers where necessary, and by educational, promotional, advisory and enabling means where possible.
The Food Safety Team, as part of the Service, will conduct all food hygiene inspections within its annual programme together with any necessary enforcement action to ensure compliance with the appropriate legislation, and in particular: -
· Seek compliance to minimum statutory requirements in all premises enforced.
· Respond promptly to all health concerns, risks of illness or spread of disease.
· Implement any new legislation, directive, target, etc. as soon as practicable and advise relevant businesses accordingly.
· Implement recommendations made through service audits, 'best value' review and comprehensive performance assessment processes.
· Develop, maintain and enhance officer competency.
Service aims also include a commitment to continuous improvement in service quality and stakeholder dialogue; and holding to the right enforcement mix. To this end we will: -
· Improve our customer feedback and intelligence gathering processes.
· Promote relevant health educational and promotional programmes.
· Be open to partnership opportunities.
· Support corporate change through the Council’s change programme and the Comprehensive Performance Assessment process.
1.2 / Links to corporate objectives
and plans / Community Plan (CP)
Produced through the Local Strategic Partnership, the CP sets out its vision and aims for the community for the next 10 to 15 years. The food safety activities of the Service will contribute towards creating a safe place to live, work and visit; one of the stated aims of the CP, and in particular the Service will continue to strengthen existing, and develop new working relations with other public sector organizations and local businesses.
2003-2006 Strategic Corporate Plan (SCP)
The next SCP (06-09) should be available by autumn 2005. Within the current plan ‘Working in Partnership’ is one of the nine principal themes having a bearing on the activity of the Service. ‘Safer Communities’, another principal theme includes the achievement of 100% compliance with the annual food premises inspection programme as one of its performance indicators.
Putting the customer first is a key organizational value within the SCP, through which a number of customer-oriented initiatives are and have been developed. Those of particular import to the Service have been the development of the Council’s website and the relationship with Customer Services.
Best Value Improvement Plan
The Service was subject to Best Value review in 2003. The Food Safety element of the Improvement Plan incorporated matters identified in a peer review audit conducted in 2002. These have been implemented and are subject to ongoing monitoring and review.
Enforcement Concordat
This Government drafted document sets out what it considers are fair and equitable principles for modern enforcement agencies to be guided by. The principles include setting clear standards, being open and helpful, proportionate and consistent.
Whilst not adopting the Concordat, the Council supports these general principles as the basis by which duties are to be discharged through all its services.
Investors In People
The Council has achieved IIP status and will continue to uphold its’ commitment to the training and development of staff to their full potential.
Service Level Agreement between Environmental Health and Customer Services
Documenting the service relationship and providing directional guidance and management.

Section 2 - Background

2.1 / Borough Profile / Population:
Size: / 126,523
129 Km²
Nature: / The Borough comprises the towns of Redhill, Reigate, Horley, Banstead and other villages and communities set within attractive
countryside, most of which lies within the Green Belt. The A23 and A217 run north-south radially from London, crossing or intersecting the M25 and A25 which bisect the Borough. Redhill on the London-Brighton railway line is a junction with east west links to Tonbridge, Guildford and Reading.
Redhill is the more developed retail and commercial centre. Reigate is an increasingly busy centre for shops, restaurants and headquarter offices for a number of companies. Banstead maintains more of the village character, and there are plans to increase the population of Horley by the addition of two new neighbourhoods.
Proximity to the M25, to London and Gatwick Airport brings businesses to the Borough. Warehousing and light industry, much of it within the service sector, are located along the A23.
2.2 / Organizational Structure / Services & Committee Structures:
Officer with Specialist Responsibility for Food Hygiene:
Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC):
Public Analyst:
Food Examiner: / See Chart. Appendix 1
Alex Lisle
Food Safety Manager
Dr Peter English
Hampshire Scientific Services
Health Protection Authority (HPA) Brighton
2.3 / Scope of Food Service / To fulfill statutory and implied obligations of the Authority in relation to food safety through:
· The conduct of the programmed inspection, licensing and registration schemes. (Detailed at 3.1 below)
· The investigation of complaints relating to food items, premises or related illness, and food alerts. (3.2)
· The promotion of understanding, appreciation for, and application of high standards of hygiene and safety in connection with food provision and consumption through various advice, information and education activities. (3.4, 3.9)
· The gathering and processing of information including the completion of official returns.
· The sampling of foodstuffs and application of imported food controls. (3.5)
· The implementation of other orders, directions or duties as may be required or apply from time to time.
The service is delivered by the Food Safety Team, with other qualified officers and contractors providing support where necessary (see 4.2 for staffing details). The Food Safety Team (with Pest Control*) and the Health and Safety Team operate in close association. Licensing and Environmental Protection completes the Service complement for Environmental Health.
Responsibility for Food Standards enforcement including fertilizers and feeding stuffs rests with Surrey County Council Trading Standards Department based at Leatherhead, with whom there are established links. Formal liaison takes place at the quarterly meetings of the Surrey Food Liaison Group, or on an ad hoc basis. Examples of the latter have included liaison on food alerts, food labeling issues and health promotion activity.
*The Pest Control Service is an adjunct to the Food Safety Team and its service plan and action plan is included at Appendix 7 and 8.
2.4 / Demands
on the Food Service / The Service is based at the Town Hall and can be accessed via the Council’s Helpline service during normal office hours. Individual officers can be contacted by direct dial or email. Access is also available via five local Help Shops linked by e-mail and internet services. The public can also email general food related service enquiries to . Comprehensive information regarding the Service is also available on the Council’s website.
The previous 20 Food Safety Act 1990 Codes of Practice (COP) were revised and reissued as one Code in October 2004. One of a number of key changes will be reflected in the Borough’s food premises profile. It will take a while for the new profile to fully emerge as the inspection programme proceeds but one change registering immediate effect is the amalgamation of categories E and F (deemed ‘low risk’ food businesses) and the option to adopt an alternative enforcement strategy in respect of them i.e. the option to enforce other than by individual inspection. The Surrey Food Liaison Group is aiming to produce a local strategy for adoption by the 11 district authorities for April 2005.
Table 1 below sets out the premises profile by year according to the COP ‘Risk Rating Scheme’. The minimum frequency between inspections appears in each category. The numbers of licensed and approved premises are also shown.

2001/02

/ 12 / 91 / 426 / 84 / 183 / 200 / 201 / 1,197

2002/03

/ 5 / 59 / 401 / 99 / 201 / 242 / 151 / 1,158

2003/04

/ 2 / 37 / 375 / 105 / 211 / 261 / 100 / 1,091

2004/05

/ 0 / 32 / 371 / 109 / 475 / 71 / 1,058
Licensed butchers premises: / 16 / Approved premises: / 2
*U/c means uncategorized. Food businesses awaiting inspection prior to categorization.
Table 1: Total food businesses by category; total licensed / approved premises
Approved / licensed premises are shown separately since these premises require special consideration under specific ‘vertical’ regulations. In the case of butchers’ premises, an annual licence must be applied for and a specific licensing inspection is conducted on each occasion.
From January 2006 new legislation will introduce a requirement for HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) systems to be more widely adopted throughout the food sector. Food enforcement authorities will have a key role in the local implementation and this will have to be accommodated around the inspection programme. This is likely to become the major health educational activity over this period.
No further development towards the introduction a system of ‘prior approval’ for new businesses as mentioned in the last plan has been made but the potential of this or other such changes should not be overlooked. Invariably there would be some consequential impact on the service, even if only temporarily, whilst adjustments to the programme were being made or as businesses were helped to implement changes.
2.5 / Enforcement Policy / The Service’s enforcement policy has been updated in accordance with the revised COP.
In most cases where contraventions are found it is sufficient to leave a written report (often referred to as an ‘informal notice) on the premises for the proprietor to deal with. Other enforcement options are shown in table 2.

Year

Number of Businesses Subject to Enforcement action

Informal Notice / Improvement Notice / Formal Caution / Emergency Prohibition / Prosecution
2001/02 / 379 (98%) / 7 (1.8%) / 1 (0.26%) / 0 / 0
2002/03 / 401 (99%) / 1 (0.25%) / 1 (0.25%) / 1 (0.25%) / 1 (0.25%)
2003/04 / 468 (98.9%) / 2 (0.4%) / 1(0.2%) / 1(0.2%) / 1(0.2%)
2004/05* / 243 (100%) / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

*Part year statistics only.

Table 2: Total No. of businesses where infringements were subject to enforcement action, by year.

Section 3 - Service Delivery

This section provides details of how service will be delivered and compliments the Service Action Plan located at Appendix 2

3.1 / Food Premises Inspections / Inspections will be conducted in accordance with current legislation and COP, other centrally issued guidance and documented procedure and policy, and as in previous years the Service will aim to achieve the annual inspection programme 100 percent.
However, the revised COP has introduced a significant refinement to the inspection programme in that it requires food businesses to be inspected not later than 28 days beyond the due date. Whilst the Service will aim to achieve this it does anticipate occasions and situations where this might not be the priority, for example where short term peaks in inspection demand occur, either naturally or due to external influences such as availability of qualified officers. Every effort will be made to ensure category A and B premises are completed within the window allowed, however, a local performance indicator will be used to set a minimum performance target in respect of the larger number of category Cs, initially seeking 80 percent compliance to the 28 day target. This arrangement will be reviewed again in the 2006/7 Service Plan. The forecasted inspection programme average for 2004/5 is shown at table 3 derived from the premises profile at table 1.
Category / A / B / C / D / U/c / Total
Inspections / 0 / 32 / 247 / 55 / 32 / 366
Estimated revisits / 0 / 21 / 84 / 4 / 10 / 119
Table 3: Forecasted inspection programme average for 2005/6
The total number of estimated inspections in table 3 is down by 107 (22%) from the previous year due the changes made by the COP as mentioned above. Most of the inspections ‘lost’ are in the low-risk Category E group and therefore subject to the option to introduce an alternative strategy. The work initially entailed introducing such a strategy is expected to more that account for any savings made in the first year. Another factor relevant to inspection levels is an amendment to the risk scoring (Annex 5 to the COP). As a result a number of Category C businesses will become Category Bs following their next inspection thereby increasing the frequency of visits to those premises. The picture will be a lot clearer in the 2006/7 when these changes will have been worked through.