Crofton Lodge care home in Fareham rapped for 'inadequate' food hygiene knowledge
Care home received a rating of two
A care home in Hampshire has been given a food hygiene rating of two after inspectors found staff had ‘inadequate’ knowledge of food safety.
Crofton Lodge on Crofton Road, Fareham, was visited by inspectors on Tuesday, August 4 who found that improvement was necessary. The report states that there was an issue with how some food items were stored while staff showed a lack of knowledge on food safety procedures.
Inspectors judge establishments in three areas; hygienic food handling; cleanliness and condition of facilities and building; and management of food safety. While Crofton Lodge’s cleanliness was rated as ‘very good’ and its management of food safety ‘generally satisfactory’, its hygienic food handling was deemed as ‘improvement necessary’.
The eight-bed residential care home for people with learning difficulties and mental health problems had issues flagged with its staffs knowledge on high-risk foods.
The report states: “During the inspection, staff were unable to demonstrate adequate knowledge of the cooking requirements for high-risk foods. When asked what temperature should be reached to confirm that high-risk foods are safely cooked, staff could not state that the food must reach a core temperature of at least 75°C.”
Issues were also found in how it defrosted meat and how it stored some food items. The inspectors were told that staff would defrost meat by leaving it on the counter overnight and then placed in the fridge the following morning. However, inspectors advised it should be thawed in a way that minimises the risk of toxins forming in the foods and in temperatures that would not result in a “risk to health”.
During the visit, inspectors found a packet of ice creams being stored directly on top of a packet of raw meat with the inspector citing that raw food and ready-to-eat-food must be kept separate at all times.
The report added: “During the inspection, it became apparent that the level of food hygiene knowledge among staff was inadequate in relation to a number of important food safety matters relevant to their duties, including allergen awareness and temperature control.”
Crofton Lodge had 21-days to appeal against the rating before it was released. The hygiene rating can be found at https://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/37327/crofton-lodge.