Dad's disgust at being told leaking hospital room 'has been like that for years'
A dad was left fuming after his wife and newborn son were put in a hospital room with a bucket catching a leak.
The man, who wished to stay anonymous, says staff told him the room at University Hospital of Wales had been like this "for years" when he and his partner were there on Halloween night. He said he was "incensed" at its current state, with the couple deeply concerned about how hygienic it was.
"God knows what chemicals are seeping through that building," the new father from Cardiff said. "The bucket was three quarters full. It really incensed me to have these third world conditions. The room was grim."
The hospital trust said the room was now closed (UGC - no credit)He added that the blind was off the window and the room wasn't clean during their brief stay. "My wife said she spotted a patch of dried blood on the floor that had not been cleaned off properly," he told Wales Online.
The Health and Safety Executive's guidance highlights several issues with placing a patient in a room with a bucket for a leak. It suggests that the area should be "fenced off" or covered up to avoid exposure to potentially harmful water.
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A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board expressed regret over the concerns raised by the patient about their experience in the maternity unit. They acknowledged the challenges posed by the aged estates infrastructure but assured that they are working closely with their estates team to resolve the issues. The room in question has been temporarily closed for use until improvements are made.
A spokesperson for the hospital trust said: "We are really sorry to hear of the concerns raised by the patient in question, regarding their experience of the patient environment within the maternity unit. Whilst we acknowledge that our aged estates infrastructure provides challenges to providing appropriate and comfortable environments, we are working closely with our estates team to monitor and resolve such issues that arise.
"The room in question, which experienced unexpected damage due to the recent heavy rainfall, has been temporarily closed for use until remedial improvements are carried out. We would like to thank the patient for raising these concerns so suitable adjustments could be made.
"The delivery of safe, effective care to all those within our maternity unit is of paramount importance and, as such, this is not the standard of care that we aspire to work to. We would therefore encourage any patients who have concerns during their care to raise these with staff on their ward. Alternatively, we encourage them to contact our concerns team so that a response can be provided to the patient and their family directly."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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