Patients at the 550-bed University College Hospital in Galway (UCHG) were being provided with alternative catering last night following the temporary closure of the hospital's kitchens for health reasons.
The discovery of a "small insect presence" in a stores area close to the catering department during a routine inspection by environmental health officers prompted the move, the Western Health Board (WHB) said yesterday.
The closure was voluntary, a health board spokeswoman emphasised, and there was no disruption of the patients' food supply. However, staff meals were disrupted.
The measure was a precautionary one and was taken in the interests of patient and staff safety, the spokeswoman said. The hospital had taken immediate steps to eliminate any health risk, she said.
UCHG said it wished to apologise to staff for any inconvenience and to thank them for their co-operation. A spokeswoman said the catering department would be reopened as soon as the problem had been dealt with.
