British public hospitals infested with rats, fleas and bed bugs

Hygiene standards in NHS hospitals have been called into question after it emerged they are routinely dealing with infestations of vermin

Outbreaks have included rats in maternity wards, wasps and fleas in neo-natal units, bed bug infestations, flies in operating theatres and maggots found in patients' slippers. The data, uncovered using Freedom of Information rules, include hospitals with maggots, "over-run" with ants and mice "all over" wards; cockroaches in a urology unit and a store for sterile materials infested with mice. The figures raise questions over standards of cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals although the healthcare regulator said complaints about pests were 'negligible'.

The Conservatives asked all 171 hospital trusts in England for details of pest control incidents for the last two years. Of those, 127 Trusts responded and almost all had experienced problems and 100 of them collected detailed information about pest infestations. In total there were almost 20,000 reports of pest problems and seven out of 10 trusts that responded reported they had called in pest control officers more than 50 times since January 2006 - an average of once a fortnight.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital Trust, the trust at the centre of Britain's biggest superbug scandal when more than 300 patient deaths were linked to Clostridium difficile, reported more than 50 pest incidents in two years. A spokesman for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said: "Most incidents relate to old buildings which have now been demolished at Pembury Hospital. There is no specific problem."

Of the trusts that collected detailed information 80 per cent had problems with ants, 66 per cent had rats, 77 per cent had mice, 59 per cent had problems with cockroaches, 65 per cent had biting insects or fleas, 24 per cent had problems with bed bugs and 6 per cent had maggots.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Labour have said over and over again that they will improve cleanliness in our hospitals but these figures clearly show that they are failing. It is difficult for health service estates to maintain a completely pest free environment but the level and variety of these infestations is concerning. "We need greater transparency in NHS infection control, and publishing data like this is one way in which we can drive up overall hygiene standards."

Eight hospitals trusts called in pest control officers more than 500 times, with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust having the most severe problem with 1,070 incidents in two years.

The healthcare watchdog inspects hospital trusts against a strict hygiene code and has the power to shut down wards, departments or even a whole hospital if there is a risk to patients. Christine Braithwaite, head of healthcare associated infection programme at the Healthcare Commission said: "We receive a wide range of information on hygiene from different sources. However, concerns around pest control have, to date, been negligible. "Clearly, it may be necessary to take action against pests in these large public buildings from time to time. "However, it is important for hospital trusts to have robust procedures in place to deal with any pest problems and if they persist, trusts should question whether they have the right systems in place. "If we were concerned that the safety of patients was at risk, through poor hygiene standards or in any other way, we would take immediate action."

Health Minister Ivan Lewis said: "Hospitals must be responsible for ensuring their buildings are clean and that patient safety is not compromised. The Hygiene Code requires NHS bodies to have a pest control policy that anticipates and manages this issue. "Trusts should take rapid action and follow through with surveillance in place to avoid pest incidents and minimize hazards. Use of pest control is a sign of good proactive management. "The claim that insects spread hospital acquired infections is entirely unproven. There is no evidence of their carriage of antibiotic resistant bacteria being a hazard to patients. Despite this we expect hospitals to take continued action to tackle pest problems"

Nottingham University Hospital had the most pest control incidents of any that responded to the Conservatives' request for information. John Simpson, Director of Estates and Facilities Management at Nottingham University Hospitals, said: "These figures must be put into context. It goes without saying that as the fourth largest trust in the country, our hospitals are bigger than most others around the country and therefore our figures should be compared with trusts with similar-sized estates rather than smaller acute trusts. "It is also worth bearing in mind that trusts are likely to have recorded and reported figures differently and therefore the table may not be comparing like-for-like data."

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