Minister for Health opens significant projects at Letterkenny Hospital

The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar TD visited Letterkenny General Hospital today, Thursday October 1st. During the visit the Minister met with management and staff at the hospital and formally opened the new catering unit and dining facilities which were redeveloped at a cost of approximately €2.97m and the new pulmonary laboratory which was part of a larger €2.06m development at the hospital.

Commenting, LGH General Manager Sean Murphy said, “We were delighted to have the opportunity to meet with Minister Varadkar today and highlight to him the excellent work being undertaken at LGH. The Minister had the opportunity to see first- hand the redevelopment that has been undertaken in Letterkenny General Hospital”.

The new Catering Central Production Unit which includes the kitchen and food storage facilities together with new visitor and staff canteen areas has recently opened in the hospital. The hospital’s previous catering facilities were extensively damaged by flooding in July 2013. 

The design and planning for the new catering facilities began in late 2013 and the work was overseen by a Catering Rebuild Project Team. This team included an Environmental Health Officer, Catering Management, the Facilities Manager, catering staff and infection control staff. The new facilities uses the most up to date building techniques to ensure that food safety is paramount and all the new equipment is the most modern available. The Catering Department at the hospital prepares and cooks over 1,400 meals every day for patients, staff and visitors.  The Catering Department also provides food to other HSE Residential facilities in the Letterkenny area.

The Respiratory Investigation Laboratory / Pulmonary Laboratory is used to treat patients with acute and chronic respiratory disease, including chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, sarcoidosis and asthma. Patients are referred to the respiratory laboratory for diagnostic purposes to assess a range of lung functions and allergy testing.  The facility was extensively damaged during the flooding incident in July 2013 and had to be temporarily relocated while it was being completely refurbished. Approximately 50 - 60 patients per week are seen in this facility. 

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