The kitchen has been closed as a precaution as additional work is carried out
Singleton Hospital’s kitchen is again closed(Image: Richard Youle)
A kitchen at a major Welsh hospital remains closed, more than two months after a cockroach infestation was first reported. The facility at Singleton Hospital was initially shut at the end of June when insects were discovered in the “undercroft” area.
Since then, further reports have suggested cockroaches were also found in the ceiling above the freezer and cold storage areas. We understand that items have been thrown away as a precaution.
Swansea Bay Health Board has confirmed the kitchen has been temporarily closed while additional treatment work is carried out. No date for the reopening has been given.
Despite the closure, the health board stressed that patient meals have not been affected.
In July, we reported that food production and catering staff have been moved to the kitchen at Morriston, Swansea’s largest hospital, as the health board “worked hard to eradicate to infestation.”
A spokesperson for the health board also confirmed at the time, that no clinical areas had been affected by the infestation.
The health board said only food that is produced off-site or purchased from alternative suppliers was being used.
All food produced at the hospital prior to the infestation and stored in freezers was discarded as a precaution.
The health board said it was “working hard to eradicate the infestation”.
The dining room and coffee shop at Singleton also remained open. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here
In an updated statement about the latest closure, a spokesperson from Swansea Bay Health Board said: “In line with expert advice, we have once again temporarily suspended production in the Singleton Hospital kitchen while further treatment is undertaken.
“Patient meals continue to be provided by an external supplier, and on-site cafés remain open.”
We have approached Swansea council, which has responsibility for environmental health in the city, for comment.
In July, they confirmed that they were “aware of the issue at Singleton Hospital and the work that is taking place to address it”.