Watford General Hospital has come under fire for its wards’ kitchens still having a 1/5 food hygiene rating 10 months after an inspection.
Eateries that do not receive a 5/5 rating can request a follow-up assessment three months after the first one.
The hospital’s wards’ kitchens that serve patients were inspected on November 22, 2022, and told "major improvement" was necessary.
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Philip Aylett, co-ordinator of the New Hospital Campaign, said: “I’m amazed that a large organisation providing healthcare has not been able to improve matters to get a reinspection.”
In the full inspection report, obtained by the Watford Observer, the inspector found that there were no allergy controls by staff providing breakfast or drinks.
Mr Aylett said: “My grandson has got a lot of allergies, what would happen if he were to go in there.”
Inspectors also found that the Starfish Ward’s kitchen floor was dirty “behind or below equipment”, and the Langley Ward kitchen did not have dedicated wash hand basins for staff to use.
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was asked why it did not request a reinspection three months after the November visit.
Environment director David Ambrose said: “We have not put in a request for a visit as they told us they would return early autumn.”
He added that the hospital has made “major changes”.
These include refurbishing two ward kitchens, installing dishwashers across the wards, and extending food hygiene training to a significantly wider group of staff, he said.
He added: “We have been working closely with the environmental health officers (EHO) who report they are happy with the progress we have made and our planned improvements.
“We anticipate an unannounced inspection before the end of October, and we are confident we should see a better rating.”
Councillor Aga Dychton, deputy mayor and portfolio holder for community, confirmed the EHO officers have visited the hospital several times since the November inspection and “have been pleased with improvements put in place and work still underway”.
She said: “A new rating isn’t given when a re-visit takes place, it is given at the time of the next formal unannounced inspection, this will take place sometime in the next three months.”
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