A HOSPITAL kitchen facing closure has been described as a safety “time bomb”.
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The room at Rutherglen’s former bush nursing hospital, now a campus of Indigo North Health, is in need of an urgent upgrade.
An external auditor has warned Indigo North Health that unless improvements are made by October then it may order the shutting of the kitchen.
Dishes are prepared in the kitchen for Indigo North Health clients as well as for Meals on Wheels diners at Rutherglen, Chiltern and Wahgunyah.
Indigo North Health chief executive Shane Kirk said he was taking the closure threat “very seriously”.
“The biggest issue is the size of the kitchen, it’s very small when you’re preparing in excess of 55,000 meals a year,” Mr Kirk said.
“It’s a very cramped space.
“You’ve got huge meal trolleys, you’ve got stoves, it’s a time bomb waiting to happen.”
Slippery and cracked linoleum and timber doors and frames with chipped paint are examples of problems.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley first raised the kitchen’s woes with Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy last November.
After Ms Hennessy replied in April, suggesting Indigo North Health apply for money via the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, Mr Tilley again raised his concerns in parliament last month.
“The minister has recommended that Indigo North reapply to the infrastructure fund, but submissions close in August, with a subsequent decision being made in 2018,” Mr Tilley said.
“That is long after the audit coming up in October that will potentially shut down the kitchen.
“I reiterate that it is a matter of urgency for the minister to reconsider, and her department needs to find this money as soon as possible.”
Three bids for funding have been rejected in recent years and $250,000 is needed for the work.
Mr Kirk said contractors were ready to proceed if the money emerged.
When contacted by The Border Mail, Ms Hennessy’s office talked up the prospect of help, without committing to funding by October.
“The Department of Health and Human Services is actively talking with Indigo North Health about the needs of their residential aged care facility, as well as the level of detail submissions to the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund require,” a spokeswoman said.
