Newly elected Mayor of Castlebar, Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne, has accused the Health Service Executive of “telling lies” in relation to a vast reduction in hours being allocated for cleaning services at Mayo General Hospital. According to Cllr Kilcoyne, who is also the vice chairman of the Consumer Association of Ireland, he has been contacted by ISS contract cleaning staff at the hospital who have been informed that their hours are to be cut by 12.5 per cent; some 72 hours in total a week. After the HSE refuted these allegations, Cllr Kilcoyne is calling on the health authority to “be honest”.
In a one-line statement which the HSE released it said that “Mayo General Hospital confirms that there is no intention to implement any diminution of the cleaning services provided at the hospital.” The health service also said it cannot comment on figures being referred to as such information is “commercially sensitive”. When ISS Galway was contacted, the Mayo Advertiser was told that the manager was not commenting on the matter “at the moment”.
Cllr Kilcoyne told the Mayo Advertiser that he is adamant that a reduction in cleaning will be implemented as a result of budget cutbacks at the hospital and has expressed serious concerns for patient safety and the spread of superbugs.
“I’m saying that in Mayo General, a surgical hospital, you cannot afford to reduce the level of cleaning in the hospital. It’s already well down the list in terms of where it’s ratings are at in terms of cleanliness,” Cllr Kilcoyne said.
In other areas of the HSE, namely mental health, Cllr Kilcoyne claimed there are reductions of between 50 per cent and 80 per cent in the amount of time spent on cleaning. “This has major implications and unless it is reversed I’m going to ask the Health Information and Quality Authority to investigate this and also the Health and Safety Authority because people may well be working more and more in conditions where there may be superbugs.”
In an audit conducted late last year Mayo General Hospital was found to be ‘fair’ in terms of hygiene standards within the hospital. While the hospital scored well on the cleanliness of kitchens and wards, handwashing, which is recognised as the key in stamping out MRSA and other superbugs, was an area that was found in need of attention. At that time hospital management cited a lack of funding as part of the reason the hospital failed to improve on the rating it received a year previously by the HIQA.
This year will see the third such audit and it is difficult to see how the hospital can improve on its fair rating with more budgetary cuts being implemented.
Mayo General Hospital’s budget for 2009 has already overrun by €1.9 million during the first few months of the year. The budget for 2009 stands at €82.9 million, a cut of €2.6 million on 2008, but the hospital is struggling to make the savings. More cuts will have to be made at the hospital if the 2009 budget is to be met and will include a reduction in overtime, allowances, administration, temporary ward closures, theatre closures, and training while at the same time trying to improve efficiencies.
