FOOD standards officers face an increasing work backlog and “potential burnout” in Carmarthenshire unless workforce issues in the sector can be addressed, a cabinet member said.
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen said a shortage of suitably-qualified officers at the council was reflected across Wales and was “structural and long-term”.
Councils employ environmental health practitioners and food safety officers to carry out food hygiene inspections and food standards work. They investigate complaints, give food business advice and take enforcement action where necessary.
A council scrutiny committee heard in March that the authority was turning to agencies and offering £60 to £70 per hour for qualified staff but with little success. Members were told the council was falling behind on targets for its food safety and hygiene work but that measures were being taken, such as giving food-qualified staff in other teams refresher training so they could inspect lower-risk premises.
Worried about it what heard, the committee referred the matter to cabinet. A report before cabinet on June 1 said skills shortages and recruitment pressures in public protection services in Wales were particularly acute within food hygiene and food standards.
It said the council prioritised high-risk premises and responded to complaints and food incidents based on risk and intelligence received. But a backlog of lower-risk inspections had developed.
Cllr Vaughan Owen, cabinet member for climate change, decarbonisation and sustainability, said this backlog was managed but added: “Cabinet should be clear that this is not a sustainable position. There is a growing risk of an increasing backlog and reduced resilience to respond to incidents and potential staff burnout.”
Carmarthenshire Council has around 2,280 food premises on its schedule including restaurants, cafes, pubs, takeaways, care homes, schools, hospitals and manufacturers. Premises have a risk category from A to E, with category A, B and C ones considered high risk by virtue of food handling activities that took place.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service learned there were 228 category C premises with overdue hygiene inspections at the end of March, and 467 overdue inspections for category D and E establishments. There were hardly any overdue inspections for category A and B establishments though, and most category D and E premises were eligible for a different type of regulation called an alternative enforcement survey.
Speaking at the cabinet meeting Cllr Vaughan Owen praised the commitment and professionalism of food standards officers for delivering “essential services under sustained pressure”.
Asked how many officers were employed, he said six full-time ones who focused mainly on high-risk premises, and two former ones who’d been brought into the team and concentrated on medium-risk businesses. He said the council was also recruiting a full-time officer and looking at potential apprenticeships and graduate schemes.
The cabinet report asked members to note the workforce challenges facing public protection services in Wales and the impact on food hygiene and food standards delivery in Carmarthenshire.
