The Tasmanian Liberal Government must come clean about its plans to relocate kitchen services from the Launceston General Hospital, a move that will undermine patient care and food quality, further diminishing hospital conditions.
Last year, during Question Time, former Health Minister Guy Barnett admitted that the Government would be moving the LGH's kitchen services offsite as part of a redevelopment. This revelation raised serious concerns among staff and the broader community about patient care and the quality of food served to hospital patients.
A redeveloped kitchen on the LGH site was part of the 2018 masterplan - moving it off site will mean they will have to move to a "cook and chill" method instead of freshly made meals, and transporting food from an off-site location, diminishing the quality of food and affecting at least 94 staff.
It's not the first time the Tasmanian public has seen a move like this, the Liberal government previously oversaw the offsite relocation of kitchen services at the Royal Hobart Hospital. The results were shocking and saw a significant drop in the quality of meals served to patients, which in turn has negatively impacted patient well-being and recovery.
With LGH patients and staff already having to ensure sweltering heat due to a lack of air conditioning, for those in the hospital undergoing serious treatment, diminished food quality because of the Liberals' health cuts will only make their discomfort worse.
We call on the Government to reverse this ill-conceived plan and focus on ensuring conditions at the LGH are at the best possible standard.
Minister Petrusma must commit to reversing the former Minister's plan to relocate the LGH kitchens off site, which she would know will inevitably lead to a reduction in the quality of food provided to patients at the hospital
Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Minister for Health
