Galway hospital patients being fed from kitchen with history of rodent infestations
It was installed as an interim kitchen over 20 years ago
Patients at University Hospital Galway (UHG) are being fed from a deteriorating, 20-year-old prefabricated kitchen with a history of rodent infestations, mould, structural issues, and leaking ovens, internal documents have revealed.
The documents show that the hired prefab located behind the Nurses’ Home was installed as an interim measure two decades ago when the hospital had fewer than 450 beds.
It remains in place, however, and is now operating in excess of a maximum capacity set out by an environmental health risk assessment, catering for up to 715 patients every day.
The makeshift kitchen facility has repeatedly breached food-safety standards and previously had to shut down following the discovery of pest activity, and has been branded not “suitable for purpose” by environmental health officers.
Capacity overruns and structural decay have been described as a “major concern” at the prefab, and food production has been temporarily relocated to Ballybrit Racecourse in the past to facilitate emergency repairs.
Previous inspections have revealed mould growth on ceilings and in the potwash area of the kitchen, shifting and cracking floors providing “reservoirs for contamination”, and leaking ovens.
Emergency exits were also obstructed by food-delivery trolleys due to a critical lack of storage space, and rotting timber on the exterior was creating harbourage risks for rodents and other pests.
The documents warned that these defects were of particular concern because the kitchen catered for immunocompromised patients, including people being treated for cancer, and newborn babies.
They state that the catering department at UHG remains under “serious pressure”, and is operating beyond its safe operational ceiling of 700 patients. It typically supplies meals to 715 patients and more than 600 staff daily.
The hospital documents warn that an urgent decision is now required regarding the catering infrastructure as the structural decline of the prefab is directly impacting the safe delivery of food to vulnerable patients.
They recommended that a specialist field biologist survey be carried out at the location.
A spokeswoman for the HSE confirmed that a condition report completed in November 2022 identified a number of deficiencies with the existing production kitchen, which she said was “approaching end of life”.
She also confirmed that the prefab unit has been rented by the HSE for the past 20 years.
“Internal and external remedial works have been carried out on foot of the report,” she added. “The production kitchen complies with all relevant food safety standards and is in daily use.”