Staff concerns in E.coli outbreak

E.coli outbreak timeline

The south Wales E.coli outbreak has led a former Bridgend Council leader to claim environmental health departments are under-staffed and under-resourced.

Jeff Jones claimed environmental health departments had too often been treated as "Cinderella services".

But local government officials disagreed the shortages were so severe.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that more than 600 premises received food from the Bridgend meat suppliers being linked with the outbreak.

SCHOOLS AFFECTED Primary: Abertaf; Blaengwawr; Bedlinog; Pengeulan; Capcoch; Caradog; Upper Rhymney; Comin; YGG Llwyncelyn; Cwmdare; Aberdare Town Church School; Troedyrhiw; Rhigos; Glenboi; Maesycoed; Cwmlai; Hirwaun; Parc Lewis, Ysgol yr Castell; Brynna; Cwrt Rawlin, Caerphilly. Infants: Cwmbach; Penygraig; Cynon; Glyntaf; Ynyswen. Secondary: Pen y Dre; St John the Baptist; Archbishop McGrath; Ysgol Pen Yr Englyn; Treorchy.

Mr Jones claimed environmental health lost out on funding to other essential services, such as education, because much of their work went unseen.

"It is up to the local authorities to make choices," Mr Jones said.

"They get the pot of money from the assembly - and the money has gone up in recent years - but there are huge pressures."

It is a view backed up by unions such as Unison, which said environmental health officers often felt over-stretched and could struggle to fulfil all the work required of them.

The Welsh Local Government Association admitted there were staff shortages, but said they were far less pronounced than had been claimed.

There have been increasing calls for the inquiry into the E.coli outbreak - which led to 25 people being treated in hospital - to be held in public.

Any inquiry will be open, transparent and thorough Brian Gibbons, Welsh health minister

Parents of children affected by the outbreak have demanded a public inquiry, and some have taken legal advice.

Welsh Health Minister Brian Gibbons said that the form the inquiry would take would be decided in the coming weeks adding that "the peak is over".

'Further increase'

In a statement on Tuesday, he said: "While new cases are in decline, I would still urge parents who are concerned about their children to seek medical help.

"With the control measures proving effective in schools, it is expected that most new cases will have caught the infection outside schools.

"It is still probable that the number of cases will increase further (but) this is not because the source of the outbreak remains live. It is because it takes time for the germ to incubate."

And of the inquiry, he added: "The precise nature of an inquiry will depend on the outcome of immediate reviews that will take place and legal advice."

'Without blemish'

A meat supplier linked to the outbreak - John Tudor and Sons of Bridgend - released a statement on Monday which said that initial tests for the bacterium at its premises have proved negative.

The company said it had been operating since 1955 "without blemish" and had supplied local authorities since 1964.

"Tests carried out on the 19 September, 2005 have proved negative and results are awaited of further tests," the statement said.

A spokesperson for the National Public Health Service for Wales said the company was still the focus of the investigation.

The firm has been told to stop trading, and any business receiving cooked meat from the firm has been told to withdraw it.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has also asked all local authorities in Wales to contact any businesses to ensure they have not bought any cooked meat from the firm, to ensure it obtains a full list of the firm's customers.