The PFI hospital was opened by Tony Blair in July 2002

Ten people were affected by salmonella, with two admitted to hospital, after the incident in November 2003.

All ate at the privately-run Bede's restaurant at the University Hospital of North Durham, which opened in 2002 under the private finance initiative.

The company which runs it has now drawn up an action plan in response.

The Outbreak Control Team has looked into the outbreak, which only became public last month, and its findings will be presented to the board of the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Action plan

It said the 10 people affected, who were staff and visitors but not patients, ate Sunday lunch at the restaurant on 16 November.

The report says: "The Outbreak Controls Team concluded that it was highly likely that the outbreak was associated with eating food from University Hospital of North Durham restaurant on 16 November 2003.

"However, no clear conclusion about the exact mechanism by which food became contaminated could be reached."

It goes on to say that although the precise mechanism by which the food came to be contaminated cannot be established, "the outbreak revealed a failure of routine hazard control systems within the kitchen".

It advised that the management structure and supervision within the kitchen should be strengthened to prevent the chance of future errors.

Consort Health Care, which operates the restaurant, has drawn up a catering action plan to address the key issues raised and the report says most of the actions are either under way or already completed.