London hospitals in grip of vermin infestations

London hospitals today admitted being plagued by rats, mice, cockroaches, flies and other pests.

Stomach-turning research disclosed the mortuary of Queen Mary's, Sidcup, had an infestation of maggots.

The same trust called in pest controllers to treat cockroaches in a neonatal unit, ants and mice in a maternity ward and wasps in the delivery suite.

Guy's and St Thomas' admitted calling in experts nearly 500 times last year. It said they mainly dealt with mice in offices and bedbugs in staff accommodation, but did not disclose what problems there were in patient areas.

Barts and The London NHS Trust - which operates St Bartholomew's, the Royal London and London Chest Hospital - made 800 call-outs, of which at least 164 were to wards and clinical areas of the hospitals and another 155 were to unspecified areas.

It admitted at least 33 cases of cockroaches in clinical areas, six cases of rats, 15 of mice, 16 of mosquitoes, eight of ants and 74 unspecified. There was even a wasps' nest. The total number of problems in all areas of the trust's hospitals was much higher.

The scale of the problem was revealed by Freedom of Information disclosures obtained by the Conservatives, who blamed poor cleaning regimes.

Among the most disturbing cases revealed around the country were a patient finding maggots in her slippers, a maternity ward over-run by rats and a storage room for sterile equipment infested with mice.

Altogether, trusts reported almost 20,000 cases of pests over the past two years, with eight out of 10 having problems with mice and six out of 10 complaining of cockroaches and rats.

Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said dozens of trusts had refused to supply full data but the responses showed hospitals had become dirtier and less hygienic.

"Labour have said over and over again that they will improve cleanliness in our hospitals but these figures clearly show that they are failing," he said.

"It is difficult for health service estates to maintain a completely pest free environment but the level and variety of these infestations is concerning."

But Health Minister Ivan Lewis accused him of "talking down the NHS".

Claims that pest problems were behind the spread of infections such as MRSA were denied by the Government. But some experts said deadly superbugs tended to multiply in the same sort of conditions that bred pests.

In the South-East, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust reported rats, mice, wasps, bees, ants and cockroaches on the main wards. Rats also infested the renal unit, mice the obstetrics and gynaecology department and cockroaches the paediatric department.

Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust recorded nine wasps' nests in clinical areas between September 2006 and November last year.