A VITAL staff member at Letterkenny University Hospital has revealed the joy at making a positive difference to patients’ lives.
Catering assistant Maureen McGarvey has worked at the county’s largest hospital for over two decades and still loves meeting people.
Without Maureen, many patients would miss her dedication to the job, making sure that patients’ different diets and nutritional requirements are catered for.
Maureen said: “My name is Maureen McGarvey, and I’m a catering attendant at Letterkenny University Hospital.
“I have been here 23 years. It’s a long time, but it has flown by. We officially start at 7.45am, but most of the time we’re in a bit earlier, get coffee, get started and then we work until 1pm.
“We have a split shift between 1pm and 3pm. When we come back at 3pm, we prepare for dinner, serve dinner, and tea and replenish the water jugs. It’s all go, but it’s all very fulfilling.
“I love meeting new people. You meet all ages, young, old and they all have their own stories to tell. So I really enjoy that part.
“There’s nothing I don’t like about it. The only thing I would like to change is to do a full day and have more downtime.
“Our current work schedule means we have a split shift with a gap during the day. If I could choose, I would rather work those extra hours and get a better work-life balance.
“For my job, a lot has changed. Over the years, many new diets have been introduced.
“There can be lots of patients, each with different illnesses and requiring different diets, so everybody’s catered for.
“I’m also a shop steward here in the hospital. I have been a shop steward for nine years.
“It’s enjoyable, but it can be very challenging. Being a shop steward, you get all angles, so you get people on the good days and on the bad days. But the work is always worth it.”
The former factory worker added: “I think sometimes people might perceive catering as just a very simple job where you come in, make tea and toast and there’s nothing to do.
“But there’s a lot more to it. You have to make sure the kitchen is fully restocked every day and kept up to environmental health standards at all times.
“Everything has to be documented and you have to ensure you meet all patients’ dietary requirements in the ward. It’s a huge responsibility.
“So you have to be incredibly organised.”
Catering assistant Maureen McGarvey has worked at Letterkenny University Hospital for over two decades. Photo: SIPTU.
SIPTU member Maureen was talking to the union as part of its new Day in the Life series that gives a voice to members who perform vital jobs.
She said: “I have been a member of SIPTU for over 30 years – since I was 18. But that’s through different jobs.
“There have been many things over the years that have made me really grateful to be part of a union.
“Before working at LUH, I worked in a factory and we were all being made redundant.
“And of course, SIPTU came in to make sure we were all treated fairly when leaving and they set up new courses for all of us who were made redundant.
“We are very lucky that management works very well with SIPTU within this hospital.
“When issues arise, we meet with them to try to resolve them.
“The job evaluation was great, with everybody assessed on their roles and how they had changed over the years.”
She added: “The best part is being a shop steward is being able to help people. Sometimes, when my colleagues approach me about something that’s wrong, they can feel quite hopeless and like they’re not being heard.
When you can go and speak for them and help them with it, it feels great!
A lot of the time, the issues can be fixed very easily.
Sometimes there are issues that need a lot of help and sometimes people have big issues or concerns, and you are trying to help them through it.
You really want to make sure they’re okay and getting everything that they need.
So you have all kinds of things you can help with on a daily basis, which keeps it interesting and worthwhile in the end.”