Press Release

SIPTU says catering staff levels at Tallaght Hospital at crisis point

Date Released: 24 January 2012

SIPTU members in the catering department of Tallaght Hospital are concerned about low staffing levels and their ability to feed patients and other employees without additional recruitment. According to SIPTU Sector Organiser, Louise O’Reilly, there are already unacceptably long queues for nursing and other staff on their breaks which could potentially have an impact on the quality of care in the wards.

SIPTU has written to the Chief Executive of Tallaght Hospital to make her aware of this situation last week but we have not yet had a reply.
 
“The Catering Department has an agreed staffing level of 52 but there are only 48 staff at present.  This situation will be exacerbated in the coming weeks when 3 further staff will be lost. The situation for our members has become intolerable and 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 failure to plan as the queues get longer for food.  Staff in the Catering Department cannot cope with the volume of work and cannot understand why hospital management will not employ more workers to bring them up to their agreed staff ceiling.”
 
SIPTU’s Divisional Organiser, Paul Bell, believes that the failure to plan on the part of health providers will result in an adverse impact on services for staff and patients.
 
“Hospital managements around the country know that staff will be retiring between now and February 29th and they have no contingency plan in place. There seems to be no forward planning and the situation with the Catering Staff in Tallaght Hospital is just another example of this,” he said.