A terrified pensioner has been left traumatised after discovering rodent droppings in her hospital bed, with her family branding the conditions as “disgusting”.
Christine Sandra Dobbs, 82, who has a lifelong phobia of rats and mice, was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital, in Gillingham following a fall at home and ill health.
But her stay has been marred by what her family says is a “shocking” rodent problem inside the ward where she’s been for more than two weeks.
Her daughter, Chelsey Field, says her mother phoned her “screaming” over the weekend after spotting what appeared to be mouse droppings next to her bed and in her drawers, and even saw mice scurrying across the ward.
“She was petrified,” said Ms Field, 51, from Newington. “We’re not even allowed the door open at home in the summer because of her fear.
“And now she’s in a hospital surrounded by what she’s most afraid of.”
The hospital trust says it is investigating the report as a “matter of urgency” and are carrying out additional cleaning and monitoring.
However, the family are so concerned they have brought a rat trap from home and have placed it under Christine’s bed.
Ms Field claims the infestation wasn’t an isolated incident either.
Another patient reportedly spotted mice the next day, and some staff allegedly admitted the hospital was “run alive” with rodents, the family claim.
“It’s just unacceptable,” added Ms Field. “This is a ward full of elderly people. Some of them are very unwell. They’re going to get even more ill, or dying, if this carries on.”
Chelsey, a former virtual receptionist and mother-of-three, has submitted a formal complaint through the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), demanding immediate action.
She also claims staff failed to deal with the issue adequately when it was reported.
“Apparently they just moved the drawers but didn’t actually deal with the mice in them. It’s disgusting,” she added.
This isn’t the first time concerns have been raised over rodents at the hospital.
Back in February, Medway NHS Foundation Trust was forced to apologise after footage emerged showing a mouse inside the Tennyson Ward.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed pest control was called out 215 times across 2022, with the trust spending £28,276 on dealing with infestations in the 2022-23 financial year.
Responding to the latest claims, Darren Palmer, the trust’s deputy chief operating officer, said: ”We are very sorry for the distress this incident has caused and are taking the concerns raised seriously.
“Our estates and facilities teams, alongside external pest control specialists, are investigating the report as a matter of urgency and carrying out additional cleaning and monitoring in the area.
“Patients, visitors and staff are encouraged to report any sightings so that we can act immediately and maintain the highest standards of cleanliness across the hospital.”
But Ms Field says more needs to be done and fast.
The family has everything set up at home and are awaiting approval from the hospital for the grandmother-of-fourteen to return.
