Hospital kitchen that serves 1,500 patients every day found infested with rats
A horrifying rat infestation has been found in a hospital kitchen that prepares 1,500 patient meals a day.
Food hygiene inspectors located the rats in a cluttered and disorganised kitchen at the William Harvey in Kent, along with many other health and safety problems. Bait and traps have been set up in the kitchen run by 2gether Support Solutions, a company which is owned by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT).
The rat problem was discovered by food hygiene inspectors during a recent visit to the subsidiary company's restaurant and kitchen. They also found areas were "cluttered" and some staff training was a year out of date. Inspectors visited the site on October 5 as part of a full food hygiene inspection.
The rats were found on a recent visit made by inspectors (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The company, 2gether was given a two-star rating, which means improvement in food hygiene standards is necessary. The findings were obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to Ashford Borough Council made by KentOnline.
The inspectors wrote: "You have issues with rats accessing the kitchen and you have been working with your pest control contractor to bring the situation under control. You have put systems in place to minimise the risk of contamination, including moving food susceptible to pest damage to a secure room, putting food into pest-proof containers and ensuring the kitchen is cleaned and sanitised before use every morning."
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They added: "Continue to work with your pest control contractor to eliminate the problem and implement any recommendations from them. Ensure the area around the compactor is kept clear of all food debris and wrappers."
The inspector acknowledges the rat infestation was being treated before the inspection and the company says it has "already implemented a number of changes" while a subsequent visit has found to "have no concerns with any patient feeding areas".
Pest control had been visiting daily - baiting and trapping - and cameras were put into the kitchen to monitor activity in advance of the inspection. As well as at the William Harvey Hospital, this firm operates at the QEQM in Margate, Buckland Hospital in Dover, Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone, and the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in the city. EKHUFT signed a 25-year contract with 2gether when it formed five years ago and operates services including catering, cleaning, portering and security.
The report added: "The area in which food containers are stored is cluttered and disorganised. This could provide harbourage for pests. Continue to work with your pest control contractor to eliminate the problem. Provide shelving for this area to allow cleaning to take place and identification of pest activity."
"The walk-in chillers for patients' meals are disorganised, making stock control and rotation difficult. The boxes the meals are delivered in are collapsing. Provide shelving in these freezers so stock can be properly set out in date order and effective cleaning of the unit can be carried out."
In response to the rating on the Food Standards Agency website, the firm said: "We have already implemented a number of changes to improve the hygiene standards at our restaurant at the William Harvey Hospital. 2gether Support Solutions takes its obligation to ensure clean and safe environments in its kitchens extremely seriously.
"We have been transparent with the EHO [environmental health officer] about a number of ongoing challenges at the William Harvey Hospital which we had previously identified. We have shared with the EHO all the mitigation actions already implemented to ensure food safety for our patients, staff and visitors.
It added: "We are pleased to note that during a recent EHO follow-on visit, the ward-based kitchens at the William Harvey Hospital were assessed and found to have no concerns with any patient feeding areas."
Ben Stevens, chief strategy and partnerships officer at EKHUFT, says it takes its obligation to ensure clean and safe environments in its kitchens extremely seriously. He said: "We were disappointed by the findings of the inspection carried out by the local authority environmental health officers in early October and have already implemented a number of changes to improve the hygiene standards at the William Harvey Hospital.
"This includes new storing facilities for food areas, implementing additional cleans and ensuring staff are fully compliant with all training. We were very pleased that during the most recent visit, the EHO noted the changes that had been made and found no concerns in any of our ward-based kitchens."
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