The Southern Trust is to press ahead with plans to scrap canteen facilities at South Tyrone Hospital in favour of a “modern coffee bar in the main foyer”.
The move comes despite objections from local political representatives, staff and visitors to the Dungannon hospital.
When news of the proposals – hailed as the “modernisation of staff and visitor catering” at South Tyrone – first emerged, there was widespread opposition.
But after a consultation exercise, the Southern Trust has now made public its decision – and the canteen, as staff and visitors know it, will go!
It says the new facility – which is expected to open towards the end of August – will be based on the ‘Ground Floor Coffee Bar’ concept already operating across other Trust sites.
The change, according to the decision-makers, aims to improve accessibility and convenience while also repurposing space for staff and meeting rooms.
The Trust says the dining room at present is “less than half full at any time”, with an average of 155 users – 135 staff and 20 non-staff – daily, therefore being deemed “under-utilised”. It is also “difficult to access for those not familiar with the hospital and those with mobility issues”.
In terms of continuing to run the catering facility ‘as is’, this was also a big ‘no’.
According to the Trust: “With income not covering cost by a significant margin, the current canteen is financially unsustainable.
“The proposal is to open a coffee bar, offering hot and cold snacks, beverages, and takeaway options in the hospital’s main foyer, aligning with the Trust’s regional catering strategy. Menu options would include a selection of scones, tray bakes, sandwiches, toasties, paninis, sausage rolls, salads, soup, hot and cold beverages. Food items will be purchased from existing contracts.
“Part of the current dining room will remain as a staff rest area with hot meal vending, microwave and hot water facilities.
“The remaining space will be converted into bookable meeting rooms to optimise space use.”
The proposed opening hours would be Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 4.30pm, with a planned opening date of “late August 2026”.
The existing facility has a staff of six. While there would be some ‘re-banding’ and change to staff rotas, there would be “no redundancies”.
The Trust says: “The current model is incurring a significant loss annually with the location of the dining room difficult to access for service users and visitors. The proposal offers a retained restroom area for staff who bring lunch to work with the option of hot food vending.
“It also helps to maximise space utilisation, providing additional and much needed meeting rooms on the South Tyrone Hospital site.
“SLT have approved this proposal and works will begin on preparing the area for the coffee bar with an intended readiness for opening end of August 2026, allowing at least 12 weeks of notice to staff and opportunity to work through the management of change process with catering staff.”
With the decision made and justification offered, there is still concern locally.
Local DUP Councillor Clement Cuthbertson said he, along with staff and other service users, still view it as a “reduction in services on site despite how the Trust portrays it”.
He said: “Replacing a full canteen with a coffee bar and limited vending options is not an improvement for many staff, patients, visitors, and families who rely on proper catering facilities throughout the day.
“While accessibility and space utilisation are being highlighted, there remain real concerns around the loss of hot meal provision, reduced dining space and the overall impact on staff welfare and patient experience.
“This issue clearly continues to matter to many people across the site and local community.”
