Hospitals infested with vermin (From Daily Echo)

Hospitals infested with vermin

7:55am Wednesday 6th August 2008 in

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PEST control experts were called out to Southampton's hospitals 450 times in less than two years new figures can reveal.

The Southampton University Hospitals Trust has come ninth in a national table of hospitals that called out pest controllers to get rid of rats, fleas, bedbugs, maggots, flies and cockroaches.

The research, released by the Conservative party, shows that vermin was found in wards, clinics and operating theatres and in hospitals from April 2006 to March this year and that across the country pest controllers were called out to 20,000 infestations.

Patients groups have said the results are revolting The official figures show 80 per cent of NHS Trusts had problems with ants, 66 per cent with rats and 77 per cent with mice.

Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust came 3rd with 857 pest control visits.

Fleas and insects that could bite patients and were found at 65 per cent of hospitals , cockroaches were found at 59 per cent and bedbugs were also discovered at 24 per cent of hospitals.

The information showed that on average every hospital trust in the country calls out pest controllers every two weeks.

The results have been met with scepticism by both the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) who said they doubt suggestions by the Conservatives that insect infestations could help spread infections among patients.

The Healthcare Commission said it would use the information to inform its hospital hygiene inspection programme.

Health Minister Ivan Lewis said that hospitals were responsible for ensuring their buildings were clean and that patient safety was not compromised.

"The Hygiene Code requires NHS bodies to have a pest control policy that anticipates and manages this issue.

"Trusts should take rapid action and follow through with surveillance in place to avoid pest incidents and minimize hazards.

"Use of pest control is a sign of good proactive management."