Environmental Health Officers investigate notifications of infectious diseases (particularly food poisoning) from GPs, the public, businesses and other local authorities. By law doctors are required to notify the local Health Authority of anyone suffering from food poisoning and details are passed to us for investigation.

Once a food poisoning notification is received, we will contact the person with the symptoms and ask them questions regarding:

• What and where they've eaten, for several days prior to their illness;
• Details of their symptoms;
• Whether they've been on holiday abroad;
• Has their GP taken a faecal sample and;
• Whether anybody else they ate with also experienced any symptoms. 

We may request that the person affected also provides a faecal sample.

If a person with symptoms is a food handler or health care/nursery worker who has direct contact or contact through serving food, with highly susceptible patients or persons in whom an intestinal infection would have serious consequences, they cannot return to work until they are symptom-free for 48 hours. They must also inform their employer of their symptoms.

Information and guidance on a wide range of infectious diseases may be found at the Health Protection Agency website

It is highly important that hygiene standards are maintained especially when someone has been diagnosed as having an infectious disease and further advice can be found on our web page outlining  food hygiene in the home

You may also be interested in the food safety tips provided by the the Food Standards Agency  where you will  find practical advice on how to keep food safe from harmful bacteria – including preparing and cooking food, keeping your kitchen clean, catering for large numbers at parties and events, and shopping for food 

Contact Us  for further advice

last updated 07/12/06