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Hospitals infested with vermin
7:55am Wednesday 6th August 2008
Comments (15)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."
Your Say YourDaily Echo
Fred, says...
8:30am Wed 6 Aug 08
Marsha wrote:Totally agree. What the Echo and or the stats ignore is that Pigeons are treated as vermin in the figures. They make up the majority of the figure.
So now what? Ignore the problems to avoid being in the statistics? Hospitals, like every other building in the country are doing their best, but the vermin and bugs are part of the problem of large, public access sites. If the pest controllers are called in then surely the hospitals are trying to deal with the problem as early as possible! Besides, the human vermin drunks are much more of a hazard to people in hospitals!
Roland Rat, Southampton says...
8:38am Wed 6 Aug 08
Fred wrote:Spot on comments - the hospitals in this report (Soton/Pompey) all REPORT the presence of vermin for pest control. I would be extremley suspicious of hospitals that do NOT request pest control.
Marsha wrote:Totally agree. What the Echo and or the stats ignore is that Pigeons are treated as vermin in the figures. They make up the majority of the figure.
So now what? Ignore the problems to avoid being in the statistics? Hospitals, like every other building in the country are doing their best, but the vermin and bugs are part of the problem of large, public access sites. If the pest controllers are called in then surely the hospitals are trying to deal with the problem as early as possible! Besides, the human vermin drunks are much more of a hazard to people in hospitals!
Red Rooster, Bitterne says...
10:51am Wed 6 Aug 08
goard, Soton Hospitals says...
11:01am Wed 6 Aug 08
goard
jimmy 2-times, says...
11:19am Wed 6 Aug 08
goard wrote:You have quite spectacularly and wholly failed to understand the story
Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on.
goard
dave, says...
11:26am Wed 6 Aug 08
jimmy 2-times wrote:Well go on whats it about then...
goard wrote: Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goardYou have quite spectacularly and wholly failed to understand the story
Theasaurus Reximus, says...
11:27am Wed 6 Aug 08
goard wrote:Bugs = insects and related species
Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goard
not
Bugs = microscopice lifes forms that cause diseases
nor
Bugs = the aliens from Starship troopers
but possibily
Bugs = small covert transmission devices used by spies and journalists to get secrets
Avery T D'Canari, Sholing says...
11:28am Wed 6 Aug 08
goard wrote:Go back to the story and read it again. This is about vermin not MRSA.
Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goard
jimmy 2-times, says...
11:36am Wed 6 Aug 08
dave wrote:It's about vermin. goard mentions them briefly, then goes off on some rant about bacteria instead
jimmy 2-times wrote:Well go on whats it about then...
goard wrote: Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goardYou have quite spectacularly and wholly failed to understand the story
Dave, says...
11:51am Wed 6 Aug 08
jimmy 2-times wrote:Nothing wrong with a good rant, leave the lad to it. Obviously makes him happy.
dave wrote:It's about vermin. goard mentions them briefly, then goes off on some rant about bacteria insteadjimmy 2-times wrote:Well go on whats it about then...goard wrote: Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goardYou have quite spectacularly and wholly failed to understand the story
Besides i think it may be a bit harsh to call the staff vermin (Except maybe the ones they employ as greeters "Hello i'm looking for ward F5" reply "i'm sorry i dont know where that is" what are you employed for then?) :)
Henry Hill, says...
12:48pm Wed 6 Aug 08
jimmy 2-times wrote:he needs to 'go get the papers, the papers'
goard wrote: Rats and bugs have always lurked in the shadows - the solution is never make it easy for them. Bugs are a different kettle of fish and I would imagine doctors and nurses have their own solution to this. Unfortunately, we have immunised and introduced so many antibiotics that man is now unable to fight the little blighters. Do we find other antibiotics to destroy the already immune viruses or build humans into a strength to be reconed with? AND so it goes on. goardYou have quite spectacularly and wholly failed to understand the story
Matt Probert, Harefield says...
6:26pm Wed 6 Aug 08
Bullying visitors into cleaning their hands with antibiotics harmful to their own immune system is not the answer. Properly trained, paid and concientious cleaning and kitchen staff might be, however.
skatewatch, says...
9:22pm Wed 6 Aug 08
Champions fleas next
PAUL B, says...
6:47am Thu 7 Aug 08
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Marsha, says...
8:29am Wed 6 Aug 08
Hospitals, like every other building in the country are doing their best, but the vermin and bugs are part of the problem of large, public access sites. If the pest controllers are called in then surely the hospitals are trying to deal with the problem as early as possible!
Besides, the human vermin drunks are much more of a hazard to people in hospitals!