The operator of a care home in Hull has been fined after pleading guilty to three food hygiene offences, which could have put residents’ health and safety in jeopardy.
On a visit in March 2012, inspectors from the local council’s environmental health team found that the kitchen at the Woodford Care Home was not being managed properly. An extraction ventilation system was found to be insufficient, and the home did not have an adequate food safety management system, which includes food hygiene training for staff, in place.
When some of the problems had not been rectified or improved after several follow-up visits, the home’s operator Bostan Care Homes Limited was prosecuted by the city council. After pleading guilty to three food hygiene offences, the operator was ordered to pay £2,800 in fines and £3,500 in court costs.
Commenting on the importance of the ruling, the assistant head of service for public protection at the council, Trevor Todd, said:
“Environmental health officers work closely with businesses providing advice and education to ensure that the highest standards of food safety are maintained.
“This is particularly important when catering for vulnerable people. When businesses fail to act upon the advice then it leaves the officers no other alternative but to use graduated enforcement action.”
