'Dangerous': mould and leaking windows plague Mater hospital

The Advertiser

13-05-2025

A mould that poses a risk to vulnerable patients has been found in the Calvary Mater Hospital as the nurse union raises the alarm about the "dangerous" conditions.
Moisture has become an issue in the Waratah hospital where leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Aspergillus mould has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital. The mould is a danger to people with lowered immune systems, very young people and the elderly.
The health district and Calvary say they are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to aspergillus through deep cleaning and installation of additional air filtration units.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said mould was detected in the ward with the most immunocompromised patients.
"We have mental health and cancer patients and toxicology and drug and alcohol," she said.
"Our cancer patients come from the whole area, so not just the Newcastle area, the whole of Hunter New England.
"They're on immunotherapy, chemotherapy and their immune systems are compromised and the patient leaflet [about the mould] says if you're fit and healthy, this is not such a problem, but it's the fact that it's in spores in the air.
"So if you're unwell, immunocompromised, it can actually end up killing you, so it's pretty significant."
Ms Smith said the windows in two bays of the recovery area and in the tea room leaked when it rained. Plastic and absorbent pads had been taped onto the windows to prevent water entry. The plastic sheets drained water into garbage bins.
"It's embarrassing," she said. "Our tea room is at the end of the hallway, so patients are being wheeled down to theatre, and then if that door is open, what are they looking at? Plastic taped to windows - it doesn't look great, does it?"
"If you were being wheeled down to have an operation, you wouldn't exactly think 'wow, great'.
"Even for the staff, that's the place that you can go and have your break, but it's wet. You're constantly having to check where things are. You can't have the electrical panels on. It's just dangerous, basically."
Hunter New England Local Health District executive director operations Susan Heyman said additional steps had been taken to minimise the risk of mould transmission, including deep cleaning and installing additional air filtration units in the affected areas of the hospital.
"I want to assure the community that, alongside hospital management, we are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to Aspergillus, which was recently detected at the Calvary Mater Newcastle," Ms Heyman said.
"The Calvary Mater Newcastle team has now spoken to all impacted patients and staff members.
"We acknowledge that this information may cause some distress or concern to our patients and staff.
"I assure the community that we are taking these actions to minimise any potential risks of exposure, while appropriate next steps are determined.
"We will continue to keep staff and patients updated."
Ms Smith said the situation was proof that the hospital's public-private partnership model did not work.
Facility management services at the Calvary Mater are delivered by a consortium called Novacare under a public-private partnership.
Novacare comprises four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell. Honeywell said it was not in a position to comment and directed questions to the state government.
"There's basically this fighting about who should pay for the bill because basically the whole facade of the building has to be resealed," Ms Smith said.
"They need to stop blaming each other and actually just fix the problem. These public-private partnerships don't work. You can't put people's lives at risk to make some money."
Ms Smith said this was exemplified by Joe's Law, which bans public-private partnerships in acute hospitals. It is named after two-year-old Joe Massa, who died from a cardiac arrest after his parents took him to the emergency department of the Northern Beaches Hospital.
"The government needs to just put their hand up and say 'we've got it wrong, the public-private partnerships don't work' and the hospital needs to come back under a fully public system," she said.
A mould that poses a risk to vulnerable patients has been found in the Calvary Mater Hospital as the nurse union raises the alarm about the "dangerous" conditions.
Moisture has become an issue in the Waratah hospital where leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Aspergillus mould has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital. The mould is a danger to people with lowered immune systems, very young people and the elderly.
The health district and Calvary say they are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to aspergillus through deep cleaning and installation of additional air filtration units.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said mould was detected in the ward with the most immunocompromised patients.
"We have mental health and cancer patients and toxicology and drug and alcohol," she said.
"Our cancer patients come from the whole area, so not just the Newcastle area, the whole of Hunter New England.
"They're on immunotherapy, chemotherapy and their immune systems are compromised and the patient leaflet [about the mould] says if you're fit and healthy, this is not such a problem, but it's the fact that it's in spores in the air.
"So if you're unwell, immunocompromised, it can actually end up killing you, so it's pretty significant."
Ms Smith said the windows in two bays of the recovery area and in the tea room leaked when it rained. Plastic and absorbent pads had been taped onto the windows to prevent water entry. The plastic sheets drained water into garbage bins.
"It's embarrassing," she said. "Our tea room is at the end of the hallway, so patients are being wheeled down to theatre, and then if that door is open, what are they looking at? Plastic taped to windows - it doesn't look great, does it?"
"If you were being wheeled down to have an operation, you wouldn't exactly think 'wow, great'.
"Even for the staff, that's the place that you can go and have your break, but it's wet. You're constantly having to check where things are. You can't have the electrical panels on. It's just dangerous, basically."
Hunter New England Local Health District executive director operations Susan Heyman said additional steps had been taken to minimise the risk of mould transmission, including deep cleaning and installing additional air filtration units in the affected areas of the hospital.
"I want to assure the community that, alongside hospital management, we are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to Aspergillus, which was recently detected at the Calvary Mater Newcastle," Ms Heyman said.
"The Calvary Mater Newcastle team has now spoken to all impacted patients and staff members.
"We acknowledge that this information may cause some distress or concern to our patients and staff.
"I assure the community that we are taking these actions to minimise any potential risks of exposure, while appropriate next steps are determined.
"We will continue to keep staff and patients updated."
Ms Smith said the situation was proof that the hospital's public-private partnership model did not work.
Facility management services at the Calvary Mater are delivered by a consortium called Novacare under a public-private partnership.
Novacare comprises four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell. Honeywell said it was not in a position to comment and directed questions to the state government.
"There's basically this fighting about who should pay for the bill because basically the whole facade of the building has to be resealed," Ms Smith said.
"They need to stop blaming each other and actually just fix the problem. These public-private partnerships don't work. You can't put people's lives at risk to make some money."
Ms Smith said this was exemplified by Joe's Law, which bans public-private partnerships in acute hospitals. It is named after two-year-old Joe Massa, who died from a cardiac arrest after his parents took him to the emergency department of the Northern Beaches Hospital.
"The government needs to just put their hand up and say 'we've got it wrong, the public-private partnerships don't work' and the hospital needs to come back under a fully public system," she said.
A mould that poses a risk to vulnerable patients has been found in the Calvary Mater Hospital as the nurse union raises the alarm about the "dangerous" conditions.
Moisture has become an issue in the Waratah hospital where leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Aspergillus mould has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital. The mould is a danger to people with lowered immune systems, very young people and the elderly.
The health district and Calvary say they are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to aspergillus through deep cleaning and installation of additional air filtration units.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said mould was detected in the ward with the most immunocompromised patients.
"We have mental health and cancer patients and toxicology and drug and alcohol," she said.
"Our cancer patients come from the whole area, so not just the Newcastle area, the whole of Hunter New England.
"They're on immunotherapy, chemotherapy and their immune systems are compromised and the patient leaflet [about the mould] says if you're fit and healthy, this is not such a problem, but it's the fact that it's in spores in the air.
"So if you're unwell, immunocompromised, it can actually end up killing you, so it's pretty significant."
Ms Smith said the windows in two bays of the recovery area and in the tea room leaked when it rained. Plastic and absorbent pads had been taped onto the windows to prevent water entry. The plastic sheets drained water into garbage bins.
"It's embarrassing," she said. "Our tea room is at the end of the hallway, so patients are being wheeled down to theatre, and then if that door is open, what are they looking at? Plastic taped to windows - it doesn't look great, does it?"
"If you were being wheeled down to have an operation, you wouldn't exactly think 'wow, great'.
"Even for the staff, that's the place that you can go and have your break, but it's wet. You're constantly having to check where things are. You can't have the electrical panels on. It's just dangerous, basically."
Hunter New England Local Health District executive director operations Susan Heyman said additional steps had been taken to minimise the risk of mould transmission, including deep cleaning and installing additional air filtration units in the affected areas of the hospital.
"I want to assure the community that, alongside hospital management, we are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to Aspergillus, which was recently detected at the Calvary Mater Newcastle," Ms Heyman said.
"The Calvary Mater Newcastle team has now spoken to all impacted patients and staff members.
"We acknowledge that this information may cause some distress or concern to our patients and staff.
"I assure the community that we are taking these actions to minimise any potential risks of exposure, while appropriate next steps are determined.
"We will continue to keep staff and patients updated."
Ms Smith said the situation was proof that the hospital's public-private partnership model did not work.
Facility management services at the Calvary Mater are delivered by a consortium called Novacare under a public-private partnership.
Novacare comprises four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell. Honeywell said it was not in a position to comment and directed questions to the state government.
"There's basically this fighting about who should pay for the bill because basically the whole facade of the building has to be resealed," Ms Smith said.
"They need to stop blaming each other and actually just fix the problem. These public-private partnerships don't work. You can't put people's lives at risk to make some money."
Ms Smith said this was exemplified by Joe's Law, which bans public-private partnerships in acute hospitals. It is named after two-year-old Joe Massa, who died from a cardiac arrest after his parents took him to the emergency department of the Northern Beaches Hospital.
"The government needs to just put their hand up and say 'we've got it wrong, the public-private partnerships don't work' and the hospital needs to come back under a fully public system," she said.
A mould that poses a risk to vulnerable patients has been found in the Calvary Mater Hospital as the nurse union raises the alarm about the "dangerous" conditions.
Moisture has become an issue in the Waratah hospital where leaking windows are being patched up with plastic and drained into garbage bins.
Aspergillus mould has been detected in multiple areas in the hospital. The mould is a danger to people with lowered immune systems, very young people and the elderly.
The health district and Calvary say they are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to aspergillus through deep cleaning and installation of additional air filtration units.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said mould was detected in the ward with the most immunocompromised patients.
"We have mental health and cancer patients and toxicology and drug and alcohol," she said.
"Our cancer patients come from the whole area, so not just the Newcastle area, the whole of Hunter New England.
"They're on immunotherapy, chemotherapy and their immune systems are compromised and the patient leaflet [about the mould] says if you're fit and healthy, this is not such a problem, but it's the fact that it's in spores in the air.
"So if you're unwell, immunocompromised, it can actually end up killing you, so it's pretty significant."
Ms Smith said the windows in two bays of the recovery area and in the tea room leaked when it rained. Plastic and absorbent pads had been taped onto the windows to prevent water entry. The plastic sheets drained water into garbage bins.
"It's embarrassing," she said. "Our tea room is at the end of the hallway, so patients are being wheeled down to theatre, and then if that door is open, what are they looking at? Plastic taped to windows - it doesn't look great, does it?"
"If you were being wheeled down to have an operation, you wouldn't exactly think 'wow, great'.
"Even for the staff, that's the place that you can go and have your break, but it's wet. You're constantly having to check where things are. You can't have the electrical panels on. It's just dangerous, basically."
Hunter New England Local Health District executive director operations Susan Heyman said additional steps had been taken to minimise the risk of mould transmission, including deep cleaning and installing additional air filtration units in the affected areas of the hospital.
"I want to assure the community that, alongside hospital management, we are working hard to minimise any risk associated with exposure to Aspergillus, which was recently detected at the Calvary Mater Newcastle," Ms Heyman said.
"The Calvary Mater Newcastle team has now spoken to all impacted patients and staff members.
"We acknowledge that this information may cause some distress or concern to our patients and staff.
"I assure the community that we are taking these actions to minimise any potential risks of exposure, while appropriate next steps are determined.
"We will continue to keep staff and patients updated."
Ms Smith said the situation was proof that the hospital's public-private partnership model did not work.
Facility management services at the Calvary Mater are delivered by a consortium called Novacare under a public-private partnership.
Novacare comprises four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest.
Novacare subcontracted its hard facilities management to Honeywell. Honeywell said it was not in a position to comment and directed questions to the state government.
"There's basically this fighting about who should pay for the bill because basically the whole facade of the building has to be resealed," Ms Smith said.
"They need to stop blaming each other and actually just fix the problem. These public-private partnerships don't work. You can't put people's lives at risk to make some money."
Ms Smith said this was exemplified by Joe's Law, which bans public-private partnerships in acute hospitals. It is named after two-year-old Joe Massa, who died from a cardiac arrest after his parents took him to the emergency department of the Northern Beaches Hospital.
"The government needs to just put their hand up and say 'we've got it wrong, the public-private partnerships don't work' and the hospital needs to come back under a fully public system," she said.