Kings College Maternity suffers bedbugs

[Mrs Y]

Oh dear

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/11/london-maternity-hospital-suffers-bedbug-outbreak/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_fb&fbclid=IwAR2SN9vy53G4Y_CXcAUF36yqTS6w7uJQLSq4mK2TwLN80M5opTTMKZLXYq8

[Penguin68]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/11/nhs-hospital-first-fined-false-imprisonment-refusing-allow-vulnerable/

[Passiflora]

Re the bedbugs situation; maybe mums to be should be tested for bedbugs etc. before they enter the maternity wards? If this has been going on for a while surely this is the best way forward in a very busy maternity environment.

King's College Hospital have had mouth swab tests for admission into the hospital for a few years now. Testing for MRSA etc.

I find it very sad that the hospital are now having to deal with this problem (bedbugs) and hope they can get on top of it.

[KateFord]

I am not surprised by this at all. I had my baby in September and had to beg staff a number of times for my sheets to be changed daily and catheter to be seen to. There were far too many agency staff who weren't interested in the needs of the patients, or maintaining standards (such as changing beds, cleaning surfaces etc). I did complain to the matron and she explained that they were incredibly short staffed (especially as it was September when there is a baby boom) and according to her our area has one of the highest birth rates in Europe and obviously having temp staff wasn't ideal. I like King's and the permanent doctors and nurses are amazing, but the mat ward was incredibly unhygienic - even some of the showers weren't working when I was there.

[Bic Basher]

Spoke to a pregnant woman on DKH at the weekend who said she was considering going to St Thomas's instead due to the bedbugs.

[Abe_froeman]

I heard this was an issue some months ago. Is it still a problem? Why have they not got on top of it yet?

[Penguin68]

Why have they not got on top of it yet?

I suspect that they have to completely close and seal a ward to deep clean and fumigate it (probably a 48 hour or more job) - and there is too much maternity demand to allow the ward to be closed. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate - they are a plague in New York, even at some of the best hotels. Gap year and back-packer travellers have done a lot to spread these little critters around.

[Abe_froeman]

.

[Monkey]

Completely agree KateFord. Maternity unit at King?s is chaos.

[intexasatthe moment]

Interesting Telegraph article .If problem is resistance to chemicals and bed bugs being imported via rucksacs and luggage by holiday makers and gap year students then surely all wards would be affected .Why would maternity ward have infestation and not others ?

[Maybaby]

It probably is in other areas. I have read a lot about bed bugs over the years, and hospitals as well as hotels are known to have bed bugs.

They are difficult to get rid of, partly due to the weaker chemicals used today to kill them. The previous chemicals were deemed health hazards unfortunately.

I would be more concerned with patients more prone to anaemia due to these insects habit of blood sucking. (A friend of mine, who suffers from anaemia, had beg bugs years ago and she was much more ill during this period when she regularly found them in her bed).

The stress and paranoia are also a cause for concern.

I honestly wouldn't have my baby there. I wouldn't be able to rest well and feel secure given that they are nocturnal.

[Pugwash]

Southwark over the past few years has had a bed bug infestation. I had to deal with this many times during my working career. Sometimes due to some of the rented accommodation not providing new mattresses to subsequent tenants. However, once they are in a property (Beds, furniture, carpets etc) they are very difficult to get rid of professionally and sometimes requiring more than one treatment.

There was a instant several years ago where someone moved into sheltered accommodation with furniture which had infestation and the whole sheltered housing unit had to be closed and fumigated over a number of months.

[carlafindle]

Pugwash Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Southwark over the past few years has had a bed

> bug infestation. I had to deal with this many

> times during my working career. Sometimes due to

> some of the rented accommodation not providing new

> mattresses to subsequent tenants. However, once

> they are in a property (Beds, furniture, carpets

> etc) they are very difficult to get rid of

> professionally and sometimes requiring more than

> one treatment.

>

> There was a instant several years ago where

> someone moved into sheltered accommodation with

> furniture which had infestation and the whole

> sheltered housing unit had to be closed and

> fumigated over a number of months.

Right, very interesting... I live in southwark but don't suffer from any infestation... ffs.

[snoopy17]

No wonder my dirty neighbours keep chucking their new mattresses and furniture on the street it's full of bed bugs. Too stupid to know you don't get rid of your stuff before you've sprayed and killed the bedbugs as it will just spread them around your house.

Also I'm not surprised about kings" as I was in a and e last year, I went to the toilet and it was absolutely god awful urine and poo everywhere, no toilet paper, poo on wall, puddles of piss every where. The cleaners just seem to float around pretending to clean so lazy and bored they look.

[intexasatthe moment]

"Right, very interesting... I live in southwark but don't suffer from any infestation... ffs." What point are you making here carlafindle ?