‘Shocked’ by hospital ‘filth’

Apr 24 2008 by Gregory Tindle, South Wales Echo

‘Shocked’ by hospital ‘filth’

HEART patient Tim Maddison was shocked at the dilapidated state of the rooms patients recovering from surgery were being forced to use at Wales’s flagship hospital.

He was so incensed that he decided to take photographs to illustrate his concern – pictures which he passed on to hospitals bosses and members of the National Assembly.

Mr Maddison, of Ystrad Mynach, who needs a triple heart bypass, said he is now worried about attending the hospital for his operation which has been pencilled in for the end of next month.

He came across the conditions in the day room of the C5 heart ward at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales. He described them as “shameful and disgraceful”, recording scenes of torn furniture, a grubby ceiling and stained carpet, when waiting for treatment.

He said: “There were patients in there that had undergone major heart surgery and this was the only room they could use to relax and watch television. They were in dressing gowns and pyjamas and God knows what bugs they could possibly have picked up. It was filthy.

“Every chair looked ancient and had a split plastic seat with foam coming out it – obviously completely impossible to keep clean. The carpet was also filthy and covered in stains. The ceiling tiles were in the consultants’ waiting room and had grubby hand prints all over them where they had been removed for maintenance and then replaced.”

Mr Maddison, 68, a retired British Aerospace worker and father of two, said: “It makes you wonder just how seriously hospitals are taking the problems of all these bugs like MRSA. It certainly is a worry for me when I eventually get an appointment for my surgery.”

Martyn Jenkins, chief officer of Cardiff Community Health Council said : “From a patient’s point of view this is unacceptable as the chairs especially are obviously unsightly and increase risks of hospital infection.”

Jonathon Davies, director of operation at the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, said: “Hospital cleanliness and hygiene is very important to us and as part of our efforts to continually improve we are investing an extra £500,000 this year into infection prevention and control and cleanliness measures. Over the last three years the Trust has invested an additional £1m in our cleaning budget.

“The area in question is awaiting a delivery of new furniture which was ordered before these concerns came to light. We will be replacing the relevant ceiling tiles as soon as possible.”

greg.tindle@mediawales.co.uk