Welsh Assembly Government Statement - Response To The E.Coli Inquiry Report, Wales

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 09 Jul 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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By:
Rhodri Morgan , the First Minister

Llywydd, I made a statement to the Assembly on 24 March, shortly after the publication of Professor Hugh Pennington's report of the public inquiry into the outbreak of E.coli O157 in 2005. I promised that the report would be considered in detail and that I would respond in more detail as soon as possible; I am now able to do so.

Professor Pennington laid responsibility for the outbreak squarely on the shoulders of William Tudor, the food business operator, and highlighted the principle that prime responsibility for food safety lies with businesses. There were areas where the systems and the people involved responded rapidly and effectively, but attention inevitably focuses on those areas where faults were found. The report contains twenty-four specific recommendations but we must not lose sight of the general conclusion that the requirements for food hygiene in place at the time of the Outbreak should have been sufficient to prevent it. As so often, it's not the systems, it's how well or how badly those systems work. Good inspectors are not necessarily good box-tickers, and good box-tickers are not necessarily good inspectors. Training has to focus on distinguishing between what is a life or death bit of bad practice and what is just a minor misdemeanour in procedure.

The recommendations therefore reflect what needs to be improved, tightened or reinforced. In most cases these recommendations are directed at organisations and services outside the Assembly Government itself. The recommendations cover the areas of:

The conduct and audit of food hygiene inspections in abattoirs and in other food businesses. These are the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency, its executive agency the Meat Hygiene Service, and local authorities

Communications systems in the health and care services. These include the National Public Health Service, Local Health Boards and local authorities.

Hygiene in schools which is the responsibility of school governors and head teachers working with local authorities.

Learning more about how to identify and limit the effects of E.coli O157 in cattle. These are technical areas which need consultation with the Health Protection Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the UK Government.

We know already that the Food Standards Agency is to review the use of equipment such as vacuum packing machinery for both raw and cooked products. In the meantime, enforcement officers will ensure that fully effective cleaning procedures are in place, with strict adherence to HACCP principles.

The process of auditing a business's food hygiene HACCP plan is being reviewed to tighten this up where needed.

The training of inspectors and their managers is also being examined with the aim of making this more comprehensive, helping them develop a sixth sense of what is potentially catastrophic.

Inspections will be unannounced unless there is a clear requirement otherwise.

In relation to local authorities, officials of the Assembly Government are working closely with the Welsh Local Government Association and the Directors of Public Protection Wales to ensure that every recommendation is fully addressed.

Local authorities are also being encouraged to continue carrying out checks during Food Safety inspections to establish how well food business employees understand the correct use of sanitizers and to offer advice to businesses and their staff. This is an extra strand in an inspection which can be fixed or unannounced.

Though they did not play a causal part in the outbreak, new standards for school toilets are being developed in relation to cleanliness, condition and privacy of toilet facilities. They are intended for school governing bodies, head teachers and local authorities. The aim is to achieve a consistent level of hygiene which will contribute to improved provision of toilet facilities within schools across Wales.

All local authorities in Wales are reviewing their policies, procedures and systems in the light of the Inquiry report. I will provide a written statement on our analysis of those 22 reviews, when they have all been completed.

Beyond the responsibilities which fall directly to the FSA and local authorities, the systems for the procurement of food for public sector organisations are being reviewed by the Welsh Assembly Government, local authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association.

Health and care agencies are also looking again at their 'out of hours' communications procedures to make sure that they are tested and are working as required.

The scientific methods of identifying E.coli O157 and the cattle most prone to spreading it are being examined to see if better methods can be developed. The Assembly Government is seeking technical advice on these matters.

The Report made two recommendations addressed directly at the National Assembly for Wales, that:

"The National Assembly for Wales should consider my recommendations and monitor and report progress on implementation."

"Additional resources should be made available to ensure that all food businesses in Wales understand and use the HACCP approach and have in place an effective, documented, food safety management system which is embedded in working culture and practice." .

Two other recommendations also have some impact on the Assembly Government.

"Businesses contracting for the supply of high-risk foods, such as raw and cooked meats, to public sector organisations must be subject to independent food hygiene audits."

"A substantial review of food hygiene enforcement in Wales should take place approximately 5 years after the publication of this report."

Everyone involved should make clear the improvements and safeguards which have already been put in place since the outbreak in 2005, and those areas where further action is needed. Assembly Government actions will be reported to Cabinet by the relevant departments.

In conclusion, Llywdd, let me place on record again our thoughts for all those who were affected by the e-coli outbreak, and in particular the family of five year old Mason Jones who died as a result of it. The Pennington Inquiry Report has shone a clear light upon those areas where short-comings were evident and where mistakes had been made. It helps us to do everything we can to reduce the risk of such errors in the future. Those actions are the responsibility of a range of organisations, with the Assembly Government primarily involved in ensuring that those efforts are sustained and co-ordinated. I hope that, this afternoon, it has been possible to demonstrate that this process is already well underway.

Source
Welsh Assembly Government