Hospital catering staff express concerns

MANAGEMENT at Tallaght Hospital has rejected claims
that patient care at the facility is being compromised following claims by
catering staff that they are understaffed.

SIPTU members in the catering department of the
hospital have expressed concerns about low staffing levels and their ability to
feed patients and other employees.

SIPTU sector organiser, Louise O’Reilly, claimed
hospital management had previously agreed with the union that the catering
department would have a minimum level of 52 staff.

However, she said the department currently only has 48
staff and claimed the situation will be exacerbated in the coming weeks when
three of them leave the hospital.

“The situation for our members has become
intolerable,

? she said.

“Hospital management cannot expect them to continue in
these circumstances.

“Likewise the other staff we represent in the
hospital, many of whom have only a half hour break, are bearing the brunt of
this as the queues get longer for food.

?

Brock Delaney, the SIPTU representative for the
catering workers at Tallaght Hospital, claimed that other hospital staff and
patients increasingly have to wait in long queues for food because there is not
enough catering staff rostered to manage the canteen.

“There is a queue of patients out the door because
there is only one person serving food where there should be three,

? he said.

“Staff are also beginning to realise that there is a danger there will be no
service at weekends because there is not enough staff to provide it.

?

A spokeswoman for Tallaght Hospital said management is
working to ensure that the required staffing levels needed to maintain adequate
levels of service in the catering department are in place.

“All alternative options including redeployment,
reallocation of responsibilities among existing employees and reorganisation of
work are being fully optimised,

? the spokesperson said.

“All these initiatives are undertaken with patient
safety in mind. Catering for our patients will not be compromised.

?