Craigavon Borough Council

Requested re-visits explained

What is the purpose of requested re-visits?

Is there anything I should do before making a request for a re-visit

What should I do if I want to request a re-visit?

How long do I have to make my request?

How soon will the local authority visit?

What happens next and when will I know the result of the re-visit?

Will the re-visit cost me anything?

What is the purpose of requested re-visits?

You will automatically be given a new food hygiene rating each time your premises are inspected by Craigavon Borough Council. The frequency of these planned inspections are dependent on the risk to people’s health. The greater the risk, the more often you will be inspected.

If you make the improvements to the hygiene standards required by the Environmental Health Officer, at your last planned inspection, you can ask for a re-visit before the next planned inspection. The hygiene standards in your premises can be reassessed with a view to giving you a new and higher food hygiene rating.

Is there anything I should do before making a request for a re-visit?

You are recommended to look carefully at the comments that the Environmental Health Officer made about the hygiene standards found at your last inspection in the report or letter you were given, and make sure that you have taken appropriate action to address any issues raised. You can discuss anything you are unsure about with your Environmental Health Officer, or ask for further help on how to make improvements.

This is important because you can only have one re-visit between the planned inspections of your premises. The officer will be looking at standards generally, not just at the specific areas you have been working to improve. Therefore your hygiene rating could go down and not up, and you will not be able to get a new rating until your next planned inspection which may not be for some time.

What should I do if I want to request a re-visit?

You should put your request in writing to the Environmental Health Officer that undertook the inspection of your premises. You will be given their contact details when you are notified of your rating. You can use the standard re-visit request form

To print the re-visit request form

You must explain what actions you have taken on the issues raised at your last inspection. You should include supporting evidence, for example, receipts or photographs to show that work has been completed. This is important as Craigavon Borough Council could refuse your request if you do not provide sufficient information and evidence.

If the request is refused you will be given an explanation of why, and advice on any action you need to take or evidence you need to provide before your request can be agreed. If you do not agree with the Council's decision to refuse your request, you can raise the matter with the Senior Environmental Health Officer for food. If you still cannot resolve matters then you can use the Council's complaints procedure, details of which are found on the website.

How long do I have to make my request?

There is no deadline for this. You can ask at any time after you’ve taken action to make the necessary improvements that were identified at your inspection. You cannot, however, dictate when the re-visit will take place.

How soon will the Environmental Health Officer visit?

Usually, the re-visit will not take place in the first three months following the inspection at which you were given your food hygiene rating. If, however, you were required only to make structural improvements or repairs or to upgrade equipment, the Council may choose to carry out the requested re-visit sooner than this.

If you make your request during those first three month, you can expect a re-visit within six months of the inspection, but you will not be told a specific date and time.

If you make your request later than three months after your inspection, you can expect a re-visit within three months, but again you will not be told a specific date and time.

If you are still waiting for a re-visit after these times, you can ask the Senior Officer to investigate. If you cannot revolve matters in this way, you can use the complaints procedure, details of which may be found on the Council’s website.

What happens next and when will I know the result of the re-visit?

At the re-visit, the Environmental Health Officer will assess the standards of hygiene at your premises. You will be told in writing, either at the time or within 14 days (this includes weekends and bank holidays), what your new food hygiene rating is. This could stay the same as before, it could go up, or it could down.

As with the original hygiene rating, you can appeal this if you think it is wrong or unfair, or you can submit a ‘right to reply’ form.

Will the re-visit cost me anything?

Not at the moment but it is possible that this may change in the future.