Cook-chill Food (Hansard, 20 February 1989)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date the Yorkshire regional health authority determined to introduce cook-chill catering in hospitals throughout the region;
(2) on what date members of staff of the Yorkshire regional health authority were informed that a policy decision had been made to introduce cook-chill catering in hospitals throughout the region.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
The decision to introduce cook-chill catering into hospitals within Yorkshire region was taken at the regional health authority meeting on 24 March 1988. Information about the decision and its implementation was formally communicated to Yorkshire district health authorities and the media the same day. Similar information was conveyed to staff in the region in the RHA's newspaper "Health View", April 1988 edition.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals in the Yorkshire region currently operational, or in the process of construction, have facilities to receive and distribute cook-chill food.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
The proposed new Halifax district general hospital, all hospitals within the Wakefield and Dewsbury boundaries, all hospitals administrated by Bradford health authority with the exception of the Bradford royal infirmary, St. Luke's hospital and Linfield mount hospital, the Alfred Bean hospital, Driffield and the Brumby hospital, Scunthorpe.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which cook-chill installations currently in operation within the National Health Service contravene his Department's 1980 guidelines.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
I expect health authorities to satisfy themselves that cook-chill installations all conform to my Department's cook-chill guidelines.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if facilities exist to ensure it is possible for the requirement of the Yorkshire health authority's expert group that all cook-chill food must be served within 15 minutes of reheating to be met following the proposed introduction of cook-chill catering in Wakefield's hospitals.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
I understand that the DHA's arrangements, using heated trolleys, would meet this requirement and I expect the DHA to ensure that performance is monitored.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 30 January to the hon.
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Member for Wakefield if, in the light of scientific and medical evidence of the potential importance of listeria monocytogenes in cook-chill catering, he will now withdraw the 1980 guidelines prepared by the expert group.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
[holding answer 7 February 1989.]: We remain quite satisfied that, provided the 1980 guidelines on cook-chill catering are followed, the food produced by this system will be safe.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, pursuant to his answer of 2 February to the hon. Member for Wakefield, he will list the published and unpublished papers on the safety of cook-chill and low temperature pathogens considered by his Department's expert group.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
[holding answer 7 February 1989]: The purpose of convening an expert group is to ensure a broad information base for decisions on the preparation of guidance. The group considered a wide range of information on the scientific basis of the cook-chill system from a variety of sources. It is not possible to compile a complete list of all material which members of the group will have taken into account when formulating the guidelines.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the evidence presented at a symposium on cook-chill catering at Danbury technical college held on 9 July 1988, by a consultant microbiologist at Plymouth health authority on the incidence of patients with listeriosis treated in Plymouth hospitals during 1987 and 1988.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
[holding answer 7 February 1989]: The evidence presented by a consultant microbiologist from Plymouth health authority at this symposium showed that all patients found to have listeriosis in Plymouth hospitals during 1987 and 1988 acquired this infection before their admission.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to give his replies to the questions tabled for priority written answer on 7 February and to which a holding reply was given relating to cook-chill catering and his Department's expert group, and to Plymouth.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
I replied to the hon. Member today.