Floor surfaces encrusted with dirt and grease, ceiling tiles covered with black mould growth and rusty shelving were among the unhygienic conditions found by environmental health officers when they recently inspected the main kitchen and food storage area of a major Dublin hospital.
The findings at Beaumont Hospital were "of grave concern" according to the environmental health officers, whose report has been obtained by The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act. The inspectors who visited in February, said in their report that many of the findings had been brought to the attention of the hospital on previous occasions - some as far back as November 2001 - but were not rectified. They now required "immediate remedial action".
The main kitchen area had the following shortcomings:
The level of structural hygiene was poor throughout.
Paint was flaking off walls in a raw meat preparation area.
Many floor tiles were cracked or missing. These areas had "become encrusted with dirt and grease".
Ceiling tiles were covered with black mould growth and with dirt and grease.
The entire area was inadequately ventilated.
Some pieces of equipment were not working correctly.
Many preparation surfaces were chipped and damaged which meant they could no longer be cleaned adequately.
Potatoes and vegetables were being washed in the raw meat preparation sink, posing "an unacceptable cross-contamination risk".
Meanwhile the entire dry food storage area was in a dirty condition. Its shelving was rusted and corroded and there were open jars of mustard and sauces.
The hospital's chief executive, Mr John Lamont, has written to the Eastern Regional Health Authority on a number of occasions seeking funds to upgrade the facilities. In one letter on March 21st he enclosed a copy of the environmental health officers report and said: "These works form part of the refurbishment programme and we cannot proceed until we receive clearance from the ERHA and/or the Department of Health and Children. You will no doubt appreciate the seriousness of this report ... and the implications for the hospital should our catering services be closed down."
In a further letter to the ERHA's chief executive, Mr Michael Lyons, on May 1st Mr Lamont expressed serious concern about "the total lack of progress" on the issue. He said it was "becoming increasingly difficult for the hospital to provide essential services eg. water treatment facilities, catering facilities, in the absence of this funding".