§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many health authorities have supplied information regarding food hygiene following the letter of 3 October 1985 from Mr. Victor Page to regional general managers; and, of those who have replied, how many (a) have satisfactory procedures to ensure that statutory procedures are observed, (b) have invited environmental health officers to inspect all their hospitals and given them open access, (c) have had senior management consider the reports of environmental health officers immediately and (d) have referred to cost as being a reason for delaying or not carrying out the recommendations of the environmental health officers.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe responses from all regional health authorities give assurances that the requirements in circular HC(77) 24 on procedures, open access and consideration of environmental health officers' recommendations are observed. Eleven regions referred to the need for major kitchen refurbishments and modernisation schemes to be scheduled within the overall capital programme as a reason why it is not always possible to take immediate action on all aspects of the recommendations of environmental health officers.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will request all health authorities to ensure that any report by environmental health officers on the condition of its hospitals should be seen and discussed by members of the authority, that expenditure on hospital 141W hygiene and pest control should be separately identified in the hospitals' financial returns and that health authorities should at least once a year consider the question of health, safety and hygiene in the hospitals for which they are responsible;
(2) if he will request all health authorities to inform his Department when they decide to take no immediate action when advised by the environmental health officer to carry out kitchen improvements and to convey their reasons for such decisions.
§ Mr. HayhoeThese matters are being considered as part of the urgent revision of the Department's guidance on food hygiene in the health service which is being carried out in the light of the recommendations of the Stanley Royd hospital report.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what advice he has issued to hospitals regarding the advice to be given to patients and their relatives when there is a serious outbreak of food poisoning in a hospital.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe hospital infection working group has been asked to advise on fresh guidance to health authorities on the management of infection control to give high priority to contingency plans for dealing with serious outbreaks, including those arising from food poisoning.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions hospitals in which there have been outbreaks of food poisoning have refused specialist help from (a) environmental health officers, (b) the public health laboratory service or (c) the communicable diseases surveillance centre.
§ Mr. HayhoeI am not aware of any occasion on which such specialist help has been refused other than that referred to in the report of the Stanley Royd inquiry.