Care Homes — Kitchen Extract Cleaning in London

A care home kitchen cooks every day of the year for people who may need help to leave the building in an emergency, so its extract system deserves careful attention. We arrange TR19 extract cleaning quotes for residential and nursing home kitchens across London. An independent specialist provider carries out the clean and issues the certificate.

Cooking is the biggest single cause of care home fires. London Fire Brigade's advice for residential care homes attributes 41% of fires in care homes to cooking and cookers and a further 21% to kitchen appliances, against 13% for smoking. The Brigade points out that fire safety in a care home is covered by the Fire Safety Order and by the Care Act, regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and that failing to meet these obligations can mean prison and an unlimited fine.

Which TR19 frequency band care homes fall into

BESA's TR19 guidance sets minimum cleaning intervals by daily hours of use: every 3 months for 12 to 16 hours a day, every 6 months for 6 to 12 hours and every 12 months for 2 to 6 hours. A home serving breakfast, lunch and tea typically cooks for 6 to 12 hours, which means at least a six-monthly clean, and a large home cooking from early morning into the evening can move into the quarterly band. London Fire Brigade guidance note GN86 sets once a year as the minimum for any catering extract unless the fire risk assessment says otherwise. Grease readings at each clean confirm whether the interval is right, and the TR19 compliance guide explains the bands.

Fire risk assessment, CQC and insurance

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person must assess and reduce the risk of fire, and GN86 says a detailed assessment of the kitchen extract system belongs in the fire risk assessment. It also warns that a duct fire can spread into the fabric and voids of a building along the duct's route, which in a care home could mean corridors and bedrooms. The London Fire Commissioner enforces the Order in London, and GN86 says fire safety officers ask to see post-clean verification records during an audit. Separately, care homes are registered, inspected and rated by the Care Quality Commission, and Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires all premises and equipment used by a provider to be clean, suitable for their purpose, properly used and properly maintained. GN86 adds that no cleaning, or an ineffective regime, could invalidate commercial liability or property insurance.

What the clean and the paperwork cover

The provider cleans the canopy and filters, the full ductwork run to the discharge and the extract fan, fitting access panels where the duct cannot otherwise be reached. Grease thickness is measured before and after against TR19's 200 micron limit. GN86 expects the post-clean report to include the measurements, before and after photographs, COSHH data on any chemicals used, recommendations for future cleaning, a sketch showing access panels and test points with any uncleaned or inaccessible areas explained, and a certificate summarising the work. File it with your fire risk assessment.

Planning the clean around residents

The clean can be booked between lunch and tea or after the evening meal, so the kitchen is ready again for breakfast. Tell us your mealtimes, how the roof or fan is reached, where visitors sign in and which areas need an escort, and the provider will plan around your routine. London Fire Brigade notes that staffing levels do not always support a home's evacuation strategy, especially at night, so if work runs late, agree it with the manager on duty. If nobody knows the duct route, an inspection report will map it.

Food hygiene ratings and busy London homes

Your food hygiene rating is set separately by your borough council's food safety officer, who checks ventilation as part of the physical condition of the kitchen. The Food Standards Agency says inspection frequency depends partly on the number and type of customers, for example vulnerable groups, and display of the rating sticker is voluntary in England. London homes have little slack: the Care Quality Commission's State of Care report for 2024/25 says London has the fewest care home beds per person aged 65 and over of any region and the highest bed occupancy, at 87%.

Care groups and homes across London

If your group runs homes in several boroughs, we can arrange one quote covering every kitchen, with a certificate for each home and dates staggered to suit each manager. The cost guide explains what affects the price. We arrange quotes for care homes in Croydon, Kingston, Ealing, Wembley, Hammersmith, Clapham, Greenwich, Walthamstow and Islington, and across the rest of London.

Services: TR19 extract cleaning · canopy cleaning · ductwork · filters · what it costs

Frequently Asked Questions