6.1 Improvement Plan

Given below is the EHD action plan for the near future. Many of the issues raised in this plan arise from the continuing development of the service (e.g. Health & Safety Enforcement, Food Hygiene, Statutory Nuisance Investigations) but some are as a direct response to points raised during the consultation process of this review (e.g. administration, communications, departmental structure).

Item	Action Required	Officer(s) Responsible	Resources Required (£)	Action Date
Health & Safety Enforcement	Continue with the current project involving business self assessment of risks. Identify resources to appoint an additional Inspection Officer if this is deemed necessary by the risk assessment.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	30,000	Send out the last tranche of self-assessment questionnaires by 31^st March 2003. Complete the Health & Safety database by 31^st March 2004. After evaluation of the questionnaires.
PROGRESS Self assessment questionnaires all distributed. H&S database of approximately 3000 businesses completed. Resources to appoint additional Officer not identified. Featured as bid in Consumer Protection Service Plan 2002/3. To feature again as bid in Service Plan 2003/4.
Food Hygiene	We should retain existing staff levels and inspection rates but concentrating, in the immediate future, on continuing to reduce the backlog of inspections.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Food Safety)		It is estimated that the backlog could be reduced within 6-9 months i.e. by September 2002.
PROGRESS Backlog of inspections not cleared because of staff shortages. All vacancies in the Food Team were however filled early in 2003. Inspection levels in 2003/4 are meeting required rate.

Noise and statutory nuisance investigations	Continue with the current procedures which have been updated recently to take into account new legislation relating to human rights and surveillance issues.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	Ensure that our procedures are in accord with the Council’s policy relating to covert surveillance by 31^st May 2002. Review the use of log sheets and their effectiveness during March annually.
PROGRESS Correct procedures are in place relating to covert surveillance. Log sheets viewed to provide essential evidence; therefore they continue to be used.
Licensing	Continue with prioritisation, following risk assessment, of all Public Entertainment Licensed premise inspections.	Senior Licensing Officer	Ensure that, by 31^st March 2003, no premises warrants a score in excess of 95. (based on the EHD in-house scoring system).
PROGRESS All public entertainment licensed establishments are now risk assessed. The risk scoring system has been refined since the Best Value Review was completed. Our target is to ensure that no premise warrants a risk score in excess of 210 (our revised in house scoring system provides for a maximum score of 300).

Dog Warden	1. Continue with concentrating on known fouling ‘trouble spots’ but review regularly the situation and increase routine patrols as and when necessary. 2. Increase EHD efficiency by transferring administration duties to the Dog Warden contractors. Build in 2% cost reduction each year into the new contract.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	Some saving	Review the need for an Island-wide patrol programme by 31^st May 2002 that is compatible with the policy of concentrating on fouling trouble spots Ensure that the contractor carries out surveys of known trouble spots in October annually. 1 October 2001; this was formalised in the contract.
PROGRESS Island wide patrol programme continues, all trouble spots are reviewed monthly. In depth annual surveys continue; next annual review due this October. The year on year 2% cost reduction is built into the existing contract. The contract runs until October 2004 (Members may recall that the operation of the dog warden service was scrutinised at a Select Committee meeting in January 2003).

Pest Control	1. Continue with the current project but ensuring that, by cooperation with approved contractors and Southern Water, there is no apparent increase in the numbers of rats on the Isle of Wight. 2. Retain a significant budget in case of deterioration in the levels of infestation on the Isle of Wight whereby a need may arise for the Council to take more direct control of treatment. 3. Evaluate support for a free pest control service, possibly costing £50,000 regarding the views of users, Members and Council Tax payers.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	50,000	By 31^st May 2002 arrange with Southern Water for bi-annual sewer testing and submission of results of those tests. Within 8 weeks of the submission of those results a scheme will be devised, if appropriate, to deal with any areas where infestation is recurring or is excessively heavy. By 30^th November each year a review of the budget available for pest control will be carried out to ascertain its adequacy in respect of: Investigation of sites/premises for infestation. Sewer treatments and testing Subsidies for persons on means tested benefit. The overall provision of a pest control service. The possibility of providing a free service.
PROGRESS Latest evidence from the sewer baiting programme indicates a reduction in rat population in Island sewers. There has been no significant change in the number of pest control treatments undertaken by our approved contractors year on year. Subsidies continue for persons on means tested benefit (the maximum amount payable for up to 3 treatments remains at £5.00). Our pest control arrangements currently costs approximately £18k. The cost of a free service to all has been estimated to be in excess of an additional £90k.

General Benchmarking	Continue benchmarking with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight NUB Groups, to maintain high quality and explore any efficiency savings.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer Principal Environmental Health Officers		Review best practice and working methods annually following the production of local and national performance indicator data.
PROGRESS General benchmarking continues, contrasting local performance with that of Environmental Health Services elsewhere. Food, Environmental Protection and Health and Safety are also exposed to inter authority audits. The authority’s Food Law Enforcement arrangements have been scrutinised by the Food Standards Agency.
Administration	Increase ‘cross sectional’ working capabilities of staff and reduce the clerical work currently carried out by Technical Officers by employing temporarily a Modern Apprentice. Improve reception facilities in conjunction with other services operating from the St. Nicholas buildings.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer	5,000	Formal and in house training has already commenced. It is hoped that a Modern Apprentice can be appointed as soon as possible, but, in any event, no later than 1 September 2002. Work should commence on this by 1 November 2002.
PROGRESS A modern apprentice was appointed as planned and with support has recently obtained an NVQ in Administration Level 2. Improvements to reception facilities have been introduced but not to the extent proposed. Reception facilities at St Nicholas could be described as poor. In part, this reflects uncertainty over long term occupancy of St Nicholas by Consumer Protection staff; and in part acute difficulties we face accommodating existing personnel. The problem is compounded by plans to take on new personnel to administer and enforce liquor licensing laws and the provision of Health and Safety advice to the Council.

ICT	Ensure smooth implementation and effective use of the new software package.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	Already in budget	Target date mid-sum 2002.
PROGRESS New software FLARE was purchased and introduced successfully across Environmental Health and with effect from last April, also in Trading Standards.
Communications	Ensure, in the first instance, that the Customer Services Department is aware of the range of services provided by Environmental Health. Train all staff in customer care. Select randomly 10% of all service users and seek their views on the quality of service provided. Staff focus group.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer		Ongoing but discussions will be held early in 2002 with the Customer Services Manager. Train all staff in customer care by November 2002. The commissioning and full use of the new software must be in place before survey work can be contemplated. 01/2/2003 is a realistic date. Every 6 months.
PROGRESS Communications could always be improved. The GAGS project has the potential to ease the apparent communication difficulties that lead to this item appearing in the improvement plan; albeit the evidence suggests that these difficulties are small. Consumer Protection administrative staff receive customer care training. Surveys are conducted to seek the views of service users. Initial meetings of a staff focus group took place but those meetings have now stopped. Such meetings require issues for the focus group to consider and a “co-ordinator”. If either of these are absent the concept has reduced value.

Merger with Trading Standards	Ensure that the merger occurs as smoothly as possible and try to develop joint working to improve administrative efficiency and reduce potential for overlapping of duties. Ensure that the new structure allows for adequate career progression.	Head of Consumer Services	From 1 April 2002 onwards.
PROGRESS The merger with Trading Standards (and Bereavement Services) took effect on 1 April 2002. Although these services collectively operate as Consumer Protection a considered decision was taken to retain the brand name of Environmental Health (and Trading Standards and Bereavement Services). These brand names are well known to the public, the business community, to Government Departments and the media. Administrative budgets have been merged and organisational structure provides for an Office Services Manager responsible for managing Consumer Protection support services. The organisational structure provides limited career development opportunities. Such a structure cannot overcome a national shortage of Environmental Health Officers.

Departmental structure and decision making processes	Continue with regular staff focus group meetings and devise a more effective means of internal communication, especially in relation to policy and operational decisions.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer	A further staff focus group meeting will be held in January 2002 and at 6 monthly intervals thereafter.
PROGRESS See item 10. Although the staff focus group does not meet, communication has improved. Both the Consumer Protection Management Team and the Environmental Health Management Team meet monthly. Minutes are distributed to all staff in Environmental Health. The concept of a monthly staff briefing has been retained. All staff gather on the first Wednesday of each month for an early morning briefing on policy and operational issues from the Head of Consumer Protection and Environmental Health Manager.
Service Profile	Produce a brief simple document outlining our aims, targets and standards.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer	Produce this document in leaflet form for general distribution by 30/09/2002
PROGRESS A Service Plan (Consumer Protection), issue specific fact sheets and leaflets are published and a comprehensive web site is maintained.
Staff Training	Devise a Training Plan for all staff based on the results of their Performance Review Plan interviews. Ensure EHD is ready for IIP assessment.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer	By June 2002.
PROGRESS An annual training plan is produced. An application in principle has been made for IIP assessment for Consumer Protection.

Use of contractors	Carry out further investigation into the possibility of using contractors for some food hygiene inspections. Submit competitive bids for related work i.e. the Councils Health & Safety Advice Service and the relevant aspects of the Joint Registration and Inspection Service.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Food Safety) Principal Environmental Health Officer (Environmental Protection)	The EHD Food Section will be audited by the Food Standards Agency in late September 2002 so any operational amendments will depend on the Audit findings. Prepare a bid for the Health and Safety Advice Service from 1 October 2002 and for the Joint Registration & Inspection Unit Health and Safety enforcement work as opportunities arise.
PROGRESS The use of Agency staff to carry out inspections remains an option but has not been pursued. Agency staff are expensive and our separation from the mainland leads to additional difficulties. Now that the Food Team is at full strength inspection targets are being met. The Food Standards Agency audited the Authority in September 2002. The audit report was complimentary but did point out that inspection frequencies must be met. Responsibility for provision of Health and Safety advice transfers to Environmental Health/Consumer Protection by the end of this financial year.

Enforcement protocol with the Environment Agency	Discuss with the Environment Agency opportunities for improved joint working and enforcement. Draw up a formal protocol. Seek Member approval.	Chief Environmental Protection Officer	Target date for an agreed protocol September 2002.
PROGRESS Discussions have been held with Environment Agency (EA) representatives with a view to putting in place a formal enforcement protocol. The Environment Agency has undertaken to produce the first draft of that protocol. The commitment to produce that draft has been reaffirmed in the last month. Staff shortages at the EA have lead to slippage in the target date.
Ensure that food premises proprietors understand our methods to ensure a consistent approach to food hygiene inspections.	Design a leaflet. Distribute a leaflet.	Principal Environmental Health Officer (Food Safety)	Target `date August 2002.
PROGRESS The leaflet was produced and has been widely distributed. The leaflet appears on the Environmental Health web site and is downloadable