Mop heads caused laundry fire

The board agreed to write off the £52,000 cost of damage to equipment at a meeting on Thursday morning.

Members were told that replacing the roof would cost almost £700k.

Suzanne Pullins, the Trust’s Executive Director of Nursing and User Experience, told the meeting that machinery had broken down and mop heads were dried “in a different way”.

She stressed that this was not a “deviation from any procedure”.

She praised a “committed group of staff”, which she said, had worked to ensure a supply of laundry in the aftermath of the blaze.

The Coleraine Road facility had the capacity to process 47,000 items of linen and scrubs per week.

Board member Glenn Houston commented: “It sounds as if it was a major fire. I just want to know if all due fire prevention measures have been taken.”

The Executive Director said that the alarm had been raised by the neighbouring ambulance depot.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said that the alarm had been raised at 3.40 am on July 11.

Fire appliances attended from Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush. Three crews took almost two-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze under cotrol.

NIFRS said that the cause is believed to have been “accidential ignition”.

Paddy Graffin, the Trust’s Interim Director of Integrated Care and Partnerships, said that it is an old building and the structure is “not as secure” as one designed to new standards. A new facility, he stated, would be “designed to all the current standards”.

A report presented to the board previously indicated an overall cost of £1.3m for building repairs, roofing and new machinery.

The report said: “The fire resulted in damage to the laundry machines and extensive damage to the building including the roof.

“As a result of the fire and to ensure continuation of service, the laundry team had to relocate to temporary premises on the Causeway Hospital site as well as outsource work to a private contractor and several other Trusts in the region.

“Remedial work at the Route complex which has enabled some of the laundry team to return to the site and get the washing of laundry and linen back up and running. The main central area of the building used for folding and packing is not operationally safe. The machines damaged in the fire need to be replaced.

“The fire damage to the roof has impacted on the supply of laundry at the Route complex which has a knock-on effect to the provision of laundry, linen and scrubs across the Trust.

“The temporary premises on the Causeway site are not fit for purpose and staff are working in cramped conditions.

“Unfortunately we have not been able to secure alternative suitable premises to facilitate the laundry operation in the wider Ballymoney, Coleraine area.”

The report also stated: “There will be a lower risk of patient/user infection and contamination of scrubs and linen due to reduced contact with cages, vans and storage with all laundry processes being on one site.”