Food hygiene inspection awards 5 stars to Nicholson House

We are pleased to announce that Vale of White Horse District Council has judged the food safety and hygiene at Nicholson House Extra Care Scheme in Abingdon to be a 5-star (very good) standard. The unannounced inspection took place in February to ensure that the requirements of food safety legislation are met at the service.

Nicholson House is a scheme consisting of 61 flats for older people with extra care needs. Care and support is provided by an Optalis on-site team of carers who provide flexible levels of support and personal care on a 24-hour basis. This includes managing the catering and activities for the residents. Maintaining high standards of food hygiene is particularly important for vulnerable people so this inspection was a vital way to ensure compliance with legislation and adherence to food safety and hygiene standards.

We are thrilled with this rating,' says Nicholson House cook, Sandra Matthews. 'We pride ourselves on offering the best quality, homemade food for our residents so this is a big honour for all of our staff.”

The Food Standards Agency, which is run by local authorities across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, carry out Food Hygiene Rating System (FHRS) checks to ascertain how hygienically the food is handled, prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored; the cleanliness, layout, lighting and ventilation of the business; and how well the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe for customers.