‘Foul-smelling water’ was leaking onto kitchen worktop in UHG
From this week's Galway City Tribune - Concerns have been raised this week over hospital management’s response to a wastewater leak affecting two kitchen areas at University Hospital Galway.
The Galway City Tribune has learned that a leak was discovered in the kitchen area on the fifth floor of the main hospital building on Tuesday last, which a spokesperson confirmed had sprung from piping draining from the kitchen sink and dishwasher.
The Saolta University Health Care Group – which operates Galway’s public hospitals – said the affected kitchen on the fifth floor had been closed while repairs were being carried out.
Food for patients in wards of the fifth floor prepared in the kitchen of the floor beneath – meaning between 80 and 100 patients were being served food from that particular food preparation area.
However, it is understood that the leak on the fifth floor had travelled to the kitchen located directly underneath and had given rise to concerns of contamination of food preparation areas where large quantities of foul-smelling brown water had been dripping from the ceiling.
Photographs seen by the Galway City Tribune show a number of containers being used to collect water falling onto surfaces which were said to be used predominantly for salad preparation.
(Photo: A container collecting the waste water on the worktop in the hospital kitchen). This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read it in full, see this week's Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.