Infectious Diseases

Service Charter

What the Environmental Health Infectious Disease Control Service does

One of the areas of activity within the Environmental Health Service is the control of certain infectious diseases, where we will:

• investigate outbreaks of infectious diseases and food poisoning
• collect samples and submit for analysis to find the cause of the outbreaks
• give general advice on infectious disease control, in particular the precautions to be taken to prevent further spread of infectious disease
• inspect hairdressers, tattooists and other establishments to confirm compliance with bylaws
• investigate complaints about the fitness of food

Our Standards

We undertake to:

• respond immediately on receipt of notifications of food and water-borne diseases which represent a danger to public health, and within three working days for other notifications
• investigate cases of food poisoning within three working days of being notified
• inspect tattooists and other skin-piercing establishments once a year, and hairdressers at a frequency according to the risk presented
• respond within three working days of receipt of other requests for service, although for letters, which often contain more complex requests, we will respond within a maximum of ten working days
• listen to your problem and explain the possible courses of action. An appropriate course will be agreed with you
• ensure that all complaints are, if not agreed otherwise, treated in confidence
• keep you informed about the progress of the investigation
• advise you of the outcome of the investigation and any action taken to resolve your request
• try to advise you of the options available to you if we’re unable to help with your enquiry
• carry out surveys to discover the underlying needs of our customers

We strive always to provide a quality service.

If you would like further information regarding infectious diseases please contact us or use the link to the right of the page for our online information request form.