Cockroaches and rats plaguing NHS hospitals, say staff

Yahoo

04-04-2025

Rats and cockroaches are among the pests plaguing NHS hospitals, according to an extensive survey of staff.
NHS workers said rodents and cockroaches, as well as silverfish and other pests, are a regular feature of hospitals and other health service buildings.
The survey of almost 9,000 health workers also revealed problems such as crumbling buildings, sewage leaks, defective lighting and broken toilets.
The research was commissioned by the Unison, the union that represents a range of NHS employees including nurses, paramedics, scientists and cleaners. It suggested the pests were thriving in damp conditions and unfixed buildings.
About one in six of those polled said they had seen vermin such as rats inside their building in the past 12 months. Similarly, 16 per cent said there had been other infestations such as silverfish, ants and cockroaches.
The survey also found that almost one in five staff do not think their building is safe.
More than half of employees reported seeing buckets catching leaking water in their workplace buildings in the past year while 23 per cent witnessed sewage leaks.
Some 28 per cent said public toilets in their hospitals had been out of order for extended periods, while 30 per cent reported broken staff toilets.
Almost half said lifts were out of order, 27 per cent said there was defective lighting and just over one in five warned of ceilings falling apart.
One member of staff working in the North West said rodent bait boxes were dotted all over his hospital and a leaking waste pipe had resulted in a foul odour.
However, rats were still getting into a room storing sterile instruments and supplies, he said.
One hospital staff member from Scotland said ceilings had collapsed and water buckets collecting leaking rainwater were a constant trip hazard.
One building had seen a beetle infestation, and there were regular sewage leaks from broken pipes.
Another worker in charge of cleaning and handling medical equipment in the east of England told Unison he had seen mouse droppings on the floor and desks in reception, in staff break rooms and in the sterile instrument storage room.
Helga Pile, Unison head of health, said: 'This survey paints a worrying picture of an NHS system that's falling apart at the seams and in need of a serious overhaul.
'No one should be dodging rats, stepping over sewage or watching out for falling ceiling tiles in NHS buildings.
'The last thing patients or staff want is vermin, cockroaches and other unpleasant things roaming the wards. Disease-carrying pests can put people's health at risk.
'Previous governments made wildly exaggerated claims about building new hospitals and raided pots of cash earmarked to improve the NHS estate.
'The NHS should be fit for the 21st century, not a crumbling Dickensian relic.
'Fixing the damage done by years of neglect isn't going to be a five-minute job. Money needs to be made available immediately to sort out the worst of the problems.
'Longer-term investment plans must be sped up and maintenance budgets spared the axe.
'If operations are cancelled and wards closed because of pests and sewage leaks, delays and waiting times will only get worse.'
Saffron Cordery, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'Safety of patients and staff is the top priority, but this is being put at risk every day from crumbling buildings, pest infestations and sewage leaks.
'It's alarming that NHS trusts have to spend lots of money on pest control on top of a rocketing, near-£14 billion backlog of essential repairs to buildings and equipment which are in a very bad way. Vital parts of the NHS are falling to bits after years of underinvestment nationally.
'Hospitals as well as mental health, community and ambulance services are doing everything they can to improve productivity and deliver more high-quality care, but to do this they need safe, modern, efficient and reliable facilities.
'The condition of the NHS estate is holding them back from doing this as quickly as possible.'
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