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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 21 May 1991

Vol. 408 No. 7

Closure of Hospital Laundries.

Deputy Cotter has given me notice of his intention to raise the closure of laundries at Monaghan General Hospital and at St. Davnet's Hospital, Monaghan and the subsequent job losses. Deputy Cotter knows the procedure.

The matter I will be discussing pales into insignificance when compared with the previous matter for discussion. Nevertheless, it is very important to me and to many people in Monaghan. At the outset I compliment the staffs of the two hospitals in question. Indeed, I have great admiration for the quality of their work under the most difficult circumstances.

I have in my possession a letter signed by many people asking that the laundry service be maintained in Monaghan. The background to this affair is as follows. The health board decided to close the laundries at Monaghan General Hospital and St. Davnet's Hospital a few months ago. The laundry in Cavan is now to do all the work formerly carried out by the two laundries in Monaghan. This move was justified by the health board on the basis of cost savings. Indeed, there may be an element of savings involved, though I am not at all convinced that that is the case. We will have collection and delivery costs now which we did not have formerly. They will be quite high and there will be other costs to be taken into account which would not be of a financial nature.

First there are the job losses. There are eight people working in the laundry in the general hospital and four working in the laundry in St. Davnet's. I understand the permanent staff are to be taken into the two hospitals as domestic staff. This begs the question: will that mean temporary and part-time staff will be pushed out? I think so, otherwise the health board will be saving nothing at that level. I imagine that is part of the plan.

Second, I want to mention morale in the hospitals. It is generally known that in recent years morale in the health services had been very low because of low staffing levels of both nursing and domestic staff. Nurses have been greatly overworked and regularly have to carry out non-nursing duties which should be carried out by domestic staff. Closing the laundries at this time is a cause of further unease. It is seen as downgrading the hospitals, particularly the general hospital in Monaghan which has been under threat before and this is another blow for morale.

It is the opinion of many people that the Minister for Health and the North-Eastern Health Board are undermining the viability of Monaghan General Hospital at this time. They have decided to close the laundry service having already failed to bring the mobile coronary unit into operation. There is a mobile coronary unit lying idle in Monaghan which should be providing a good and much needed service. Further, the North-Eastern Health Board have decided to build only part of the proposed extension to the hospital. Clearly there is a backroom conspiracy here. Many people are unsettled by that and it is a cause of great concern.

I have to report to the House as well that there was a bout of local "electionitis" yesterday at the North-Eastern Health Board meeting where a number of councillors from the Minister's party who had already voted in favour of closing the laundries in question decided to change their minds. I imagine there is an element of fear that the Monaghan voters may well reject them for their folly. I think the Minister should be aware that he will have support from his own party in Monaghan for maintaining the services in the hospital.

I am requesting the Minister to intervene in this matter. I want him to revitalise the plans for the provision of a central laundry for the county which will serve the two hospitals I mentioned and St. Mary's Hospital, Castleblayney. It could be made into a very efficient unit where job losses would be avoided only the costs involved in transporting garments, bedding, etc. long distances to have them cleaned in Cavan will be avoided. Taking everything into account, I think the correct decision here would be to build a central laundry for the three hospitals in Monaghan town.

I appeal to the Minister to take note of what I am saying and act upon it immediately.

First, I would point out that the organisation and provision of laundry services for hospitals in the North Eastern Health Board region is primarily a matter for the North Eastern Health Board. We are all aware of the need to provide the best value for money in the health services. The inefficient use of money in one area means less money available for another. The North Eastern Health Board are, therefore, looking at ancillary services in their hospitals to ascertain if these are being provided in the most effective and efficient manner. That is good management. I understand it has become very clear to the board in recent years that the smaller and older laundries in their area are not processing laundry efficiently.

In order to improve on the present position, the board now proposes to rationalise laundry services in their area and to provide this service from their two larger laundries at Cavan General Hospital, which is a modern new hospital, and Louth County Hospital. This proposal involves the closure of laundries at Monaghan General, St. Davnet's and St. Brigid's Hospitals. I understand that a number of laundry staff will be retained at each of these hospitals for laundry collection, dispatch and other related duties. The remainder of the laundry staff will be re-deployed to vacant attendant posts in each hospital so there will be no job losses. The North Eastern Health Board estimate that revenue savings this year alone will be of the order of £100,000.

Deputy Cotter strayed away from the laundry issue into various other issues. The House should be aware that major improvements are being carried out at present to outpatient services at Monaghan Hospital. Deputy Cotter must be fully aware that when his party were in Government their policy was to close down Monaghan Hospital but, obviously, they are now having a change of heart. Were it not for the Trojan work of the then shadow Minister, Deputy Rory O'Hanlon and the assistance of his colleague, Deputy Leonard, there would be no need for laundry services because there would be no hospital.

Deputy John Wilson should be thrown in for good measure.

The Minister has dirty laundry to wash in public as well.

This should surely put the matter in context for Deputy Cotter and his colleagues.

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