Ageing NHS hospitals hit by sewage leaks, power failures and rat infestations

Raw sewage flooding wards, power failures, and rat infestations were just some of more than 1,200 critical incidents at NHS trusts in the past year caused by ageing equipment and crumbling infrastructure.

NHS leaders have said more investment is needed to reverse a backlog in buildings maintenance across the health service which has now reached an unprecedented £9bn. The situation is getting worse, with the backlog costs rising by 60 per cent in four years.

In some hospitals the problems have become so severe they are affecting patient care leading to wards being closed, operations delayed and in some cases posing genuine risks to safety.

Hampshire Hospitals was forced to suspend some services because of an uncontrollable rat infestation, while at East Cheshire NHS trust a power failure led to a back-up generator causing a fire triggering a second blackout. Patients had to be transferred to neighbouring hospitals and given blankets while others were given blankets to keep them warm.

In another incident at Great Western Hospitals Trust, a patient having a hip operation was left under anaesthetic “open and exposed” while staff struggled to find a vital part needed for the operation which was in a storeroom that couldn’t be opened.

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Source: The Independent, 20 April 2021