ISSUE 52 | FEBRUARY 2022
CONGRATULATIONS MHI AND VET OF THE YEAR
PAGE 4 Court case results
PAGE 8 Fair Treatment Champions
PAGE 12 TOA recruitment open evening
WELCOME
WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY EDITION OF BETWEEN THE LINES Slowly but surely, the days are finally getting longer and brighter. I want to thank you all for your hard work throughout the winter months, helping us to maintain service delivery and making sure food is safe to eat. As the winter pressures begin to ease, we have been able to stand down our incident response. We are still closely monitoring our resourcing position and I’m grateful for your continued flexibility. I know it hasn’t been easy, but it is thanks to your dedication and the contingency measures we’ve put in place that we’ve been able to fulfil our regulatory duties. In January we announced our commitment to employ up to 25% of OVs by 2023. This is part of our plans to transform and modernise the way we deliver Official Controls and will put us in good stead to achieve our strategic ambition of developing a long-term, sustainable resourcing solution. We don’t have any intentions
to change our MHI resourcing model at the moment, but continue to invest in our TOA programme and plan to recruit 30 new trainees this year. The latest recruitment campaign has just closed and I look forward to welcoming successful candidates to the FSA. Looking ahead, we’re hopeful we will be able to begin faceto-face events in the next few months, providing our frontline colleagues with some much needed time off the line, for learning and development and engagement activities. As I joined the organisation in lockdown, this will be my first opportunity to meet teams across the division in person, and I’m very much looking forward to it. Finally, I’m delighted that in this edition of Between the Lines, we celebrate Stephen Holden, our Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year, and Collin Willson, our Vet of the Year 2022 (pages 6-7). These prestigious awards honour colleagues who stand out as a shining example of
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Field Operations: National Evening Engagement Calls Our national evening calls continue to be a popular way for frontline teams to hear the latest organisational updates from leaders, discuss hot topics and participate in Q&A. Organised and expertly chaired by Andy Hopkins, Area Manager for the North – please join us from 7pm – 8pm on the following dates.
Simon Tunnicliffe Acting Director of Operations
CONTENTS News
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Congratulations to our MHI and Vet of the Year!
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Speak Up
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Wednesday 20 July
Voices
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Wednesday 21 September
In conversation with… 11
Wednesday 16 November
Last word
Wednesday 16 March Wednesday 18 May
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their profession. Unsurprisingly, we had many fantastic nominations to choose from once again this year. Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate a colleague. Congratulations to our worthy winners on this fantastic achievement and we’ll continue our celebrations at the FSA Awards in April.
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NEWS
OUR ORGANISATION:
THE YEAR
AHEAD As an organisation, we thrive on data and in the last few months colleagues from across the FSA have shared feedback to help us shape our vision and what we need to prioritise
Our mission is food you can trust. For more than 20 years, our organisation has worked to improve food safety and standards. We want to maintain and build on this in the face of rapid change in the food system. In March, we’ll publish our new strategy and, to make sure we’re structured as effectively as possible to deliver it, we’ll be making some organisation changes in the Policy directorate this spring and in the Regulatory Compliance, People and Organisational Change and Northern Ireland directorate in the autumn. What we’re doing well Feedback from our culture enquiry tells us we are: Committed: Our sense of purpose is strong. We have a fierce pride in overcoming challenges and in making a difference for consumers. Supported: There is an authentic sense of care and interest in each other. Team enabled: Our teams have trust, openness, learning and empowerment at their heart.
Room for improvement While our People Survey results remain broadly stable, there were noticeable drops in how you feel about workload, lack of pay award and elements of leadership. This was shown again in the culture enquiry workshops where operational teams in particular further highlighted a lack of recognition and limited opportunity for face-to-face engagement and learning and development activity as a consequence of Covid and EU Exit. Face-to-face staff events, protected time for learning and development and an OWOW working group exploring working pattern options for an operational environment are some of the improvements being explored. What happens next Once our People Priorities have been confirmed in March, divisions will be able to carry out local action planning and together, we’ll begin to review and develop our organisation values.
Find out more The detailed results from our People Survey and Culture Enquiry can both be found on our intranet.
ENGAGEMENT FROM ACROSS THE FSA: IN NUMBERS Culture enquiry
300+ colleagues
Strategy workshops
600 responses
People Survey
77% completion rate
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NEWS
COURT RESULTS Supreme Court dismisses case against FSA The Supreme Court has dismissed a 7-year legal case against the FSA by Cleveland Meat Company Limited (CMC), represented by the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS) . The Dispute The case involved a dispute dating back to September 2014, where a bull was slaughtered at CMC’s abattoir. The animal passed the initial ante-mortem checks by an FSA Official Veterinarian (OV), however, at the post-mortem inspection, a Meat Hygiene Inspector (MHI) identified 3 abscesses in the offal and the meat was declared unfit for human consumption by the OV. The company disputed this decision and commissioned an independent inspection by their own appointed vet, who came to a different conclusion. The food business operator (CMC) and AIMS, asserted that there should be a right of appeal against OV’s decisions, to ensure effective judicial protection for businesses. This was dismissed by both the
High Court and Court of Appeal before being appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Judgment Passing judgment on the case, Lady Hale and Lord Sales remarked that: “There is no legal foundation for Cleveland Meat Company Limited’s claim that the FSA acted unlawfully in declining to proceed under the section 9 procedure in relation to [this carcase]; nor is there any basis for the alternative complaint that the United Kingdom has failed to provide an appropriate means to challenge decisions taken by an Official Veterinarian.” Simon Tunnicliffe, Acting Director of Operations said: “Our frontline OVs play a vital role in making important decisions every day to help protect consumers and ensure food is safe. We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court to dismiss this long running case, which confirms OVs are to make the final decision on whether or not meat is fit for human consumption.”
COURT RESULT - GST LTD In January, FBO GST Limited was sentenced for two offences of failing to inform our Official Veterinarian that a quantity of turkeys had arrived for slaughter without FCI documentation. Chris Mayhew, Criminal Investigations Officer said: “The FBO was fined £10,000 in total for the two offences, plus court costs of £17,250. This brought the total fine and costs to pay to £27,250. “I’d like to say thank you to OVs Anna Derela and Mariana for a very professional referral, supported by Blanca Hernandez. I’d also like to thank Gareth Williams, Tom English and Rochelle Devonish for supporting the prosecution case.”
PROSECUTION FOLLOWING REPORTS OF SALMONELLA A multi-agency investigation led by the FSA, involving UKHSA (formerly Public Health England) and a Local Authority has concluded in a positive court result. Rich Partridge, Criminal Investigation Officer explains, “As part of an ongoing joint investigation, Daniel Jones, Dairy Hygiene Inspector and Environmental Health visited T. Smith and Sons Ltd, a registered
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Dairy Farm in Leicestershire in October 2020. “The visit came about following reports of salmonella illness in the community affecting three adults and two children. One of the victims had underlying health conditions and needed to spend a significant time in hospital as a result. “Following the visit, we were able to gather evidence and begin a criminal investigation, using forensics to link the FBO and the
confirmed illnesses. “I’m pleased to say that the FBO pleaded guilty to placing unsafe food on the market and in January, was sentenced to pay a total of nearly £18,000. “I’d like to say thank you to Daniel for his advice and detailed, methodical approach to the investigation, and to Corinne Cortes, our prosecution lawyer, who helped us achieve this result.”
NEWS
OPERATIONAL TRANSFORMATION LATEST PROGRESS The Operational Transformation Programme (OTP) is gathering pace in 2022 and in this edition of Between the Lines, Karen Simpson, Planning, Reporting and Governance Lead, provides an update on some of the work in progress. Approvals are Going Digital Our Meat Plant Approvals are undergoing a digital transformation, going from emailed forms and complex spreadsheets to a fully online case management system which will track the entire process from application to approval and beyond. FBOs will be able to track the progress of their applications and caseworkers will be able to easily access relevant documentation relating to approvals. Full training will be provided to colleagues who will need to access the system and further details on this and the roll out plans will be shared next month.
iHR – ITRENT EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE (ESS) iHR is changing! In February 2022, it will be updated to a more modern look and feel. received. We are now considering next steps as part of our commitment to look to wider digital capability to support operational processes.
Segmentation Model The Segmentation Model is a data driven tool that enables us to categorise (segment) an FBO accurately by risk and data. We have now developed the first iteration of this, which will allow us to test the model within current legislation. We are sharing this with industry stakeholders and Change Champions in February. We’re looking at a period of 3-5 years for identifying legislative changes and further developing the model and will continue to engage with stakeholders and colleagues throughout.
Resource Allocation System We are currently carrying out a supplier review to ensure we get the right product.
Remote Audit Trial The remote audit trial has now completed and was positively
Keep in touch: email the OTP team via OTP@food.gov.uk or join us on Yammer.
Engagement We’re in the process of recruiting a replacement Comms and Engagement lead and will be developing our engagement strategy to maximise opportunities for conversation with colleagues. We’re continuing to support and work with the Change Champions network, so please speak to your champion if you have any questions or concerns you’d like to share.
All the same features and functionality are available as before, so whether you need to book leave, view a payslip, or check your holiday entitlement you still can, but hopefully you’ll find the new look more intuitive, modern, and easier to use. New user guides can be found on the intranet if you need any support.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
MHI AND VET OF THE YEAR! We’re delighted to officially announce Stephen Holden as our Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year and Collin Willson as our Vet of the Year. The annual awards recognise the achievements of our meat inspection and veterinary colleagues who are nominated and judged by their peers and management teams, for embodying the ASPIRE values and standing out as shining examples of the inspection and veterinary profession.
Collin Willson Vet of the Year Collin is the winner of the Vet of the Year Award. The accolade was reintroduced in 2019 to mirror the professional recognition given to meat inspection and to highlight the incredible work of our veterinary colleagues. Jane Clark, Director of Veterinary Services said: “I am delighted to announce Collin Willson as our Vet of the Year. Collin is a welldeserved winner and has been a driving force in our organisation and across government to improve animal welfare standards for many years. “He has an extensive and impressive veterinary network,
within government and across the wider profession, and colleagues from across the agency commented on how generously he shares his expertise, supporting individuals and teams. “Collin is a real asset to the FSA and the Vet of the Year award is a testament to Collin’s success.” Collin, Vet of the Year comments, “I feel incredibly proud to have been nominated by my colleagues and recognised for my role in improving and promoting animal welfare standards. “I’ve been a part of the veterinary profession for 49 years and a career highlight has been working for the FSA and in
partnership with colleagues and stakeholders to get ministerial clearance for the Demonstration of Life work, early in 2021. I’m looking forward to continuing this work and promoting the role of our Vets who work tirelessly behind the scenes right across the organisation.” Collin follows in the footsteps of our previous Vet of the Year winners, Eva Tirado (2019/20) and Laureano Garcia-Munoz (2020/21), who will personally present Collin with the trophy, at the FSA Awards on 5 April.
Stephen Holden MHI of the Year Stephen has been presented with this year’s MHI of the Year Award, also known as the Tim Hooper Award for Meat Inspection. Robert Locker, acting Head of Field Operations, comments, “On behalf of Field Operations I would like to congratulate Stephen Holden, this year’s Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year. Throughout the past couple of years our frontline teams have worked under enormous pressure to maintain 100% service delivery and ensure we all have food we can trust. It comes as no surprise that we received a number of excellent nominations for the award this year, and I’m exceptionally proud of everyone involved. “However, Stephen’s nomination really stood out to the judging panel, with colleagues describing him as the epitome of what a Civil Servant looks like, a true professional, dedicated, flexible and always available to support his team. Stephen’s passion for the profession is demonstrated through his work with the Welfare Assurance Team, volunteering with the Association of Meat Inspectors, mentoring colleagues and becoming a qualified assessor of our Trainee
QUICK-FIRE Q&A Stephen I’ve been in the profession for… 31 years. I qualified at Smithfield in 1990. Where has the time gone?
Official Auxiliaries. Well done Stephen.” Stephen said, “I am shocked but thrilled to receive the Meat Hygiene Inspector of the Year Award. It is the most fantastic honour to be nominated by my colleagues. “I’ve been working as an MHI for more than 30 years and I’m still passionate about my work, ensuring food is safe to eat and animal welfare standards are maintained. “I’m really excited about the new opportunities this award will bring. I am proud of my deaf identity and I’m particularly looking to improve deaf awareness, breaking down barriers and ensuring the FSA is a great place to work for everyone.” Stephen is our eighth MHI of the Year, following in the footsteps of Ed Drysdale, Martin Ashton, Julie Moore, Rob Thackery, Mik Chevis, Kevin Shaddick and last year’s winner Graham Beverley.
My colleagues would describe me as… friendly, helpful with a good sense of humour. The best part of my job is… meeting people, and the variety. I am currently a member of the WAT team and an assessor for our TOAs. I’m proud to work for the FSA because… I make sure that meat is safe to eat. I enjoy explaining that to people who ask what I do for a living. The look on their face when I tell them is priceless!
Collin I’ve been in the profession for… 49 years. My colleagues would describe me as… someone who always tries to help others with advice on animal welfare matters. The best part of my job is… working with a great team of people.
FSA AWARDS – WHAT HAPPENS NEXT… Last autumn, the MHI and Vet of the Year Awards joined eight additional categories for our first ever FSA Awards. We received more than 200 nominations across the categories recognising all your hard work and achievements over the last year. With thanks to our volunteer judges, the shortlist is now available ahead of our official celebration at a special awards ceremony on 5 April.
I’m proud to work for the FSA because… I am able to make a difference thanks to the support of colleagues and managers.
INITIATIVES
SPEAK UP! We want our organisation to be a place where everyone feels supported and able to speak up. ‘Speak up’ captures a range of issues including dishonesty and other breaches of the Civil Service Code, discrimination, IT and security, and bullying and harassment. We’ve recently introduced some new initiatives designed to help us all consider our own behaviour and put in place additional support and tools to help people who experience or witness unacceptable behaviour. Dispute resolution policy We’ve streamlined our policies to make it easier for you to report unacceptable behaviour by introducing our new Dispute Resolution Policy which replaces the previous Grievance Policy and Bullying and Harassment Policy. Understanding the unacceptable We’ve worked with our Trade Unions to develop content on ‘Understanding the Unacceptable’, to clarify what behaviour is unacceptable in the workplace, reassure you that any concerns you raise will be taken seriously and signpost available support. Speak up intranet page Following on from our annual ‘Speak Up’ campaign in September, we’ve launched a dedicated ‘Speak Up at Work’ intranet page making it easier for you to find the information you need.
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FAIR TREATMENT CHAMPIONS In addition to the support available from the Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination Support Network, we launched the voluntary role of Fair Treatment Champions last September. Paul Dunn, Head of CBI and Chair of the network explains: “The Fair Treatment Champions are made up of individuals from across the organisation who promote best practice and positive behaviours and help prevent any forms of bullying harassment and discrimination.
“All of our volunteers have been trained to provide confidential, empathetic listening and signposting to appropriate support.” Become a champion To grow our team, we’re recruiting Fair Treatment Champions throughout February, so if you’re interested in getting trained to support colleagues and help eradicate bullying and harassment in the workplace, get in touch and express your interest.
WHAT OUR RECENTLY TRAINED VOLUNTEERS SAY… Emma French, Exposure Risk Assessor said: “Since becoming a champion, I’ve undertaken really important and engaging training sessions that have helped me to develop skills such as active listening. I now have a greater understanding of protected characteristics and it’s also enabled me to engage with colleagues outside of my direct team.”
Ashley Rex, Area Manager in the East region, agrees: “I recently took the opportunity to train as a Fair Treatment Champion and it’s been a positive, rewarding and challenging experience. The training has helped me to develop my skills and knowledge and I’m confident I can provide the right support and guidance to colleagues in need. I’d encourage anyone to get involved and volunteer.”
INITIATIVES
CHANGE CHAMPIONS: DEVELOPING THE ROLE Earlier this month, the Change Champions came together for the first national meeting of 2022. The Change Champion role was first created in 2020 to connect meat inspection teams on the frontline, with those managing organisational change. Sean Bird, MHI and Change Champion based in the East explained, “Although the pandemic has disrupted and influenced change across the organisation
MEAT PLANT DOCUMENTS SHAREPOINT SITE: NEW E-MODULE IS HERE!
and impacted the way we work as champions, we’re now in a position to really embed the role and strengthen our relationships with key programmes like Operational Transformation. “As a group of 23 champions covering each region, we’ve made the commitment to develop local engagement plans, with the support of our regional lead which will be shared with colleagues in each cluster. This will ensure we’re consistently engaging
with our peers across England and Wales, manage queries and raise awareness about what our role is there to do. We’ll also be introducing a dedicated newsletter, Change Champion Teams page where frontline teams can post their questions as well as keeping everyone up-to-date with our progress in a regular Between the Lines slot.” For more information, contact your local change champion
A new e-module has been launched to support colleagues using the Field Operations Meat Plant Document SharePoint site. Our CBI team has developed the module in partnership with our Capability and Development team to help ensure colleagues know how to use the site appropriately and upload material into the relevant plant folder, so that as an organisation we fulfil our data retention responsibilities. It’s important that documents relating to plant activity are stored centrally in this SharePoint site, so that
information is always available to those who need it. Access the training To access the training, visit our dedicated e-learning platform. If you haven’t registered to the site yet, visit the e-learning support page and click on Quick Start Guide or email hr.capability. development@food.gov.uk. Get in touch If you’d like to find out more about the module or share feedback, please get in touch by emailing Chloe Thomas/ Louise Newbould via cbi@food.gov.uk.
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VOICES
ACCESSIBLE BY DEFAULT Our Accessibility Lead, Samantha Merrett, explains what accessible by default means and the ambition to make us an HTML-first organisation Did you know 1 in 5 people in the UK are disabled? That’s 14.1 million people and their disability can impact the way they use digital content. It’s important we make sure everyone has a seamless experience accessing information, whether it’s a document, an email, a video or intranet page. Our content should be inclusive for all. When I first joined the organisation, I was pleasantly surprised to see the commitment to making content accessible. However, it is time to go one step further and become ‘accessible by default’. What does ‘accessible-bydefault’ mean? As a public sector body, we’re bound by legislation to make eligible digital content accessible. PDFs are difficult to amend and make accessible because of their complicated structure. I can spend 10+ hours each week making PDFs
accessible and even then, they are sometimes still not fully compliant. Our ‘accessible-by-default’ strategy aims to change this, moving away from PDFs and promoting formats that are accessible by default, the best example being HTML/web pages. As a result, from March you might notice that we won’t be publishing content in PDF format on food.gov.uk. Aside from external publishing, it is just as important to think about the implications of accessibility internally. Take our Manual of Official Controls published on food.gov.uk, this document needs to be fully accessible to a wide audience. The PDF version is difficult to navigate, update and make accessible. As a result, we’re currently in the process of creating a HTML first version. This will give all users a better experience when using the document online, they will be able to access all areas, regardless of their situation.
To find out more about accessibility… Visit our accessibility hub. Start a discussion or ask a question via the Accessibility Discussions Yammer group. If you would like to find out more about this work, please get in touch.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BE ACCESSIBLE BY DEFAULT Consider accessibility as part of everything that you do. Set emails to font type Arial in Black and at least 12pt. Consider if you need to attach the information as PDF. Could it be copied into the main body text of the email or attached as an accessible Word document instead? Do not rely on colour, italics or bold type to emphasise important information or underline information that is not a link Spread the word. Ask colleagues to think about accessibility as a part of their own work too.
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IN CONVERSATION WITH…
ELIZABETH HIRST We talk to Policy Manager for FSA Wales Elizabeth Hirst about her work with the Diversity Council and as Chair of our LGBT+ Network I joined the organisation as a temp in 2001, right at the height of the foot and mouth crisis. I was then taken on by the website team later and spent many happy years in the Communications Division, before managing communications with local authorities. It was then I began to dip my toe into policy development. For a whole bunch of reasons, I moved to Wales in 2012 and have been working in the FSA Wales policy team since. I am particularly proud of having guided the Official Controls Regulations through the choppy waters of EU Exit in time for them to come into force in 2019 on the exact day they were supposed to. In 2017, I came out as transgender, and was overwhelmed by the support I received from the organisation, both as an employer and from my colleagues in FSA Wales. I joined a:gender, the Civil service network for trans and intersex staff, and was lucky enough to serve on their executive committee from 2018-2020. I was also successful in applying for our Diversity Council when it was set up, and through working with the council, identified a need for representation by LGBT+ staff. I was encouraged to set up the LGBT+ Network and became its first chair. LGBT+ History Month is held in February each year and it’s important because it gives visibility to LGBT+ lives and allows the network to highlight some of the achievements of LGBT+ people over the years. This year we will be looking at artists who have contributed to the struggle for LGBT+ rights both in the UK and elsewhere in the world.
IN 2017 I CAME OUT AS TRANSGENDER AND WAS OVERWHELMED BY THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED FROM THE FSA AND MY COLLEAGUES We’ll be highlighting some of our favourite LGBT+ artists on our Yammer page, which is open to all whether you consider yourself LGBT+ or not. We cannot thrive without our allies who support us, even when we are not there. Keep an eye on the intranet for details of our events throughout the month and we’ll be aiming to make all our resources available for those who cannot attend in person.
QUICK-FIRE Q&A Describe your role in three words: Complicated, busy, and rewarding. What keeps you sane? Music, it can lift even the hardest day. How would your colleagues describe you? Usually generously. Sometimes I have even earned their generosity. What’s been your career highlight? Getting the first E.coli guidance published. It took a tragedy to get it started, but I firmly believe it will have saved lives. What makes you proud to work for the FSA? To know that we make a difference.
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LAST WORD
FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT EVENTS FOR OPERATIONAL COLLEAGUES
TOA RECRUITMENT OPEN EVENING In February, the FSA hosted its first virtual Trainee Official Auxiliary (TOA) open evening to provide potential candidates with a taste of what it’s like to work for our organisation Robert Tindall, Acting Head of Operational Delivery for the North, explains: “It’s our aim to recruit up to 30 TOAs a year and we’re continuously looking for new ways to improve the way we attract talent. “The open evening provided a fantastic opportunity to engage with more than 40 potential candidates ahead of application, with individuals joining us from the UK and as far away as Africa and South America. “I was joined by Robert Thackeray and Sophie Zealand who were fantastic in helping me provide a really good overview of our organisation, the training and what it’s like to be an FSA Meat Hygiene Inspector. Our recruiting managers Martin Ashton, Gary Manifold and David Kerswell also provided support, along with
colleagues from HR to answer questions in what was a really interactive session. Many thanks to everyone involved in this initiative. “The closing date for this wave of recruitment has now passed and interviews are scheduled in. We hope to have our successful candidates join the training programme in April and have another recruitment campaign planned for this summer.”
Do you have a story for Between the Lines? Email us at internalcommunications@food.gov.uk
Planning is underway for face-toface regional engagement events for operational colleagues now that our winter incident response has been stood down and Covid restrictions ease. Richard Sharp, Head of Operational Delivery in the East, says: “The pandemic has dramatically changed the way we have been able to interact over the last two years or so. As restrictions ease, however, we want to take the opportunity for frontline teams to take time off the line and meet face-toface once again. The culture enquiry, people survey and direct feedback tells us just how much colleagues value GEL and CPD days and we’re really excited to get them back in the diary as soon as possible.” Regional engagement leads will be sending out invitations to colleagues in Field Operations shortly, with 18 events scheduled to take place over six weeks, from mid-April onwards.
Your engagement leads Andy Hopkins National Portfolio Lead Sandra Kerry Area Manager, East Gary Manifold Operations Manager, North Trevor Spears Area Manager, Wales and West
