Change of laundry service a step closer

Change of laundry service a step closer, as date set for laundry closure

Earlier this year Hawke’s Bay District Health Board members formalised the process of moving laundry services to Palmerston North, by agreeing to become shareholders in Allied Laundry Services.

The Palmerston North based laundry service currently provides laundry services to Taranaki, Whanganui and Midcentral District Health Board hospitals. Hawke’s Bay laundry will be processed by Allied Laundry from 1 November this year.

This will see the closure of the laundry currently based at the old Napier hospital site. The move is expected to save the DHB $300,000 per annum with the potential to save more as other DHBs join the shared service.

A detailed transition plan is currently being finalised, and will detail how the service will operate, such as how many deliveries per day, where linen will be stored, and how it will be distributed.

Chief executive Chris Clarke, said while the savings were substantial, the downside was that around 30 staff would be affected in some way.

Since the decision was made in December 2002 to join the shared service, staff employed in Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s Baywide Linen service have been working through their future options. “Our human resources staff and independent advisers have been working closely with affected staff to provide support, counselling, career and financial advice.

Chris Clarke expressed his appreciation to all Baywide Linen staff for continuing to provide an excellent service, from outdated premises using old equipment. “It is an absolute credit to them, that the laundry service has continued to operate efficiently throughout years of uncertainty over their future.

“The decision to become part of the shared service had nothing to do with the quality of service currently provided - it’s about our responsibility to provide a good service at the best possible price. The cost savings present an opportunity for us to free up money for other services for Hawke’s Bay people,” Chris Clarke said.

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