Health Protection Agency welcomes publication of Griffin report

15 June 2010

The Health Protection Agency has welcomed the report of the independent investigation into the outbreak of E.coli O157 at Godstone Farm in Surrey, which has been published today.

Justin McCracken, Chief Executive of the HPA, commissioned the investigation, under the chairmanship of Professor George Griffin, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medicine at St George's, University of London, following the Godstone Farm outbreak last summer.

Professor Griffin and his team were asked to investigate the E.coli O157 outbreak at Godstone, the factors that contributed to it and its subsequent handling.

Speaking following the launch of the report, Mr McCracken said: "The report makes clear that many factors contributed to this incident, including the fact that the HPA should have acted more quickly in this instance.  HPA responds effectively to thousands of such outbreaks and incidents each year but of course is very sorry for its part in what happened at Godstone. That is why I publicly apologised to parents at the time.

"I am determined that the HPA will work with the other bodies to prevent a similar situation developing in future.  We will act immediately upon all the recommendations in the report which relate to the agency alone and we will work closely with other bodies (including industry, local authorities, the Health and Safety Executive and Government departments) to see how best to progress the other recommendations.

"Professor Griffin has also recommended that a multi-agency implementation committee is set up, co-ordinated by the HPA, to ensure the report's recommendations are taken forward and I will ensure the agency plays its full part in this."

Notes to Editors

1. Immediately following the E.coli O157 outbreak at Godstone Farm in Surrey, the HPA looked at everything the HPA does in relation to the handling of such outbreaks in order to improve its response to future outbreaks.  Completed actions include:
   • A new set of guidelines has been produced for all Health Protection Units to follow when dealing with such outbreaks;
   • New operating instructions for HPA staff dealing with E.coli O157 outbreaks have been implemented;
   • On the advice of Prof Griffin and his team, additional interim guidance for reducing the risk of infection on open farms was issued by HPA, the Health and Safety Executive and the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LaCORS) earlier this year;
   • At the same time a revised information leaflet was produced by the Department of Health and the HPA.
   • Criteria setting out HPA advice on reopening of farms following E.coli O157 outbreaks has been completed;
   • New guidance on improvements to induction training has been issued to Health Protection Units (HPUs);
   • New guidance on handover procedures of individual cases and incident management has been issued to HPUs;
   • Office management systems and record keeping which support acute incident response and outbreaks have been improved;
   • HPZone, a web based incident management system, is now fully operational across HPA Local and Regional Services.  Training has also been organised for all relevant staff on using the system, including keyboard skills to prevent transcription failure or error
     
     Additional actions in the process of being implemented include:
   • Updated Outbreak Control Plans are being drawn up for HPUs;
   • The HPA is developing a Serious Incident policy;
   • The HPA's Incident and Emergency Response Plan is being reviewed to take into account the recommendations from both investigations.
2. Copies of the Griffin report and the associated press release are available at www.griffininvestigation.org.uk
3. For media enquiries contact: 020 7759 2824; 020 7759 2834; 020 7759 2814.

 

Last reviewed: 15 June 2010