St Mary’s Hospital’s catering department has been deemed as needing major improvement having been awarded a shocking 1-out-of-5 food hygiene rating.
An official inspection of the department, which supplies food and drink across the hospital, was carried out by the Isle of Wight Council on 17th October this year. Inspectors found that overall standards are below the acceptable standard – particularly in the management of food safety.
Falling from a rating of 4 in 2017, the catering department has been told that major improvement is needed in the management of food safety and general improvement is needed in hygienic food handling. The cleanliness and condition of facilities and the building is said to be of a ‘good’ standard.
The management of food safety relates to systems or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.
UPDATE @ 11:05 – A spokesperson for Isle of Wight NHS Trust has today said:
“The Trust has taken immediate action to address the concerns raised by inspectors.
“A full deep clean has been carried out, faulty equipment is being repaired or replaced, staff training has been stepped up and we are improving record-keeping and documentation.
“We fully expect our next inspection to show significant improvement.”
Article continues below this advertisement
1 out of 5 but other than a telling off what has ‘ACTUALLY’ happened?
Anything???
major improvement is needed in the management of food safety and general improvement is needed in hygienic food handling.
………..
down to training of staff by catering management then and the management processes to ensure good practice.
perhaps a new catering manager needs to be employed and the old one let go.
The old catering manager left 2 months ago they haven’t got one at the moment
Totally inexcusable!
This is a major medical facility- and yet they do not even understand BASIC food hygiene.
A score of ONE!
Well, surely that means food handling (hand washing) and storage (cooked and uncooked food, cross-contamination risks). Lack of record keeping and food labelling (when food was delivered, how long something (anything) has been open, details of food allergens (in this case I mean ingredients in foodstuffs that people can be allergic to – remember Pret A Manger?!).
But, yet again, no robust action, just ‘must try harder’.
It’s bad enough when the local take-away is allowed to carry on trading with poor food hygiene ratings, but hospital catering facilities!!
This should be INSTANT termination of employment for the person(s) supervising the department AND termination of the so-called ‘Management’ responsible also.
it does seem like St Mary’s are making life difficult for themselves…
1. Patient admitted to hospital due to illness
2. Patient diagnosed and given medication, food from the 1 star kitchen and bed for the night or two.
3. Patient suddenly becomes ill and it is thought that a complication of the original illness and possibly medication has caused it.
4. Doctors baffled.
5. Lunch is served from the kitchen that has a 1 star rating – yep – think we know what caused the secondary illness – the food.
6. Patient spends longer in hospital than needed after eating food from a kitchen with poor food hygiene
Couldn’t make it up
might as well let the surgeon scrub up before surgery and then empty the office bin with his clean hands, before operating.
Firstly how is James Edwards such an authority on the catering department is he an employee or an exemployee with a grudge?
I agree with previous commenter that training is due to managers but there have not been managers for several months.The hardworking staff have been doing their best under the circumstances with little support and have been trying to turn things around. Now a new manager has been appointed and it seems a new broom sweeps clean.
Sorry to disappoint you.
I am not an ex-employee (disgruntled or not).
I have however worked within Catering and understand the requirements laid out by Environmental Health. Some are quite onerous (VERY detailed record keeping of ingredients to help avoid allergic reaction and cross-contamination, and careful noting of food ‘expiration’ dates, plus rotation of stock so that the oldest is not left at the back all of the time). Food storage (separation of cooked and uncooked foods), record keeping of refrigerator and and freezer temperatures.
They may not have had a ‘Manager’ recently, but the inspection does seem to have highlighted a very poor system of working, and also seems to indicate that the people in ‘overall charge’ yet again have not intervened in any way and now are ‘firefighting’ and giving the stock replies of ‘lesson have been learned’!
That’s ok. Close the department (like the others) and send them all to Portsmouth for lunch. You may even get the ferry half price….
Top management failure. On your way please.
What management ?
Well I suppose at least people are already in hospital if they get ill from food poisoning!…quality of food and hygiene are different things.. no excuses for poor hygiene it’s just basic common sense.. Let’s hope management act on this report…..pronto!
Poor management for several years,lack of interest,short staffed all swept under the carpet as usual
Just as disgusting as nurses and doctors sitting in the restaurant in the same clothes/uniforms that they have been wearing while treating patients – cross infection ?
What an advertisement for this third rate excuse of a hospital. Many of the staff are wonderful but clearly some need removing
Down to who ever has the contracts ! Not hospitals fault as in nurses etc but management that can’t do their jobs properly !
Come on this is outrageous!!!!’
So poor
Service and Staff very poor no excuse for it it’s like there there doing you a favour some staff quite rude as well
Being in the pub trade ive seen some awful kitchens and staff,all managing to pull a 2/3 rating.
I dread to think what issues gave a 1 star rating-the kebab place at lake pulled a 1 star for not labelling,storing of food correctly etc.
It makes you wonder how people ever come out of st marys alive again.
Its deeply depressing but only the cherry on the cake regarding the NHS, perhaps burger king should move in and show them how its really done….
what a joke this world has become
Disgusting.
In the NHS the IOW is well know as a place to get a job at if you want an easy ride whilst waiting to retire. The hospital is full of people working out their last few years. I refuse to use ST MARY’S and only go to the mainland now. It costs me more and takes longer (and more time of work) but it gets the job done. The treatment centre at Southampton is very good. If you can ask to go there.