Premature babies treated in ward with broken heating
STAFF REPORTEDLY USE ELECTRIC BAR HEATHERS AS THE CENTRAL HEATING AND AIR CON DO NOT WORK
POORLY and premature babies treated in the Special Care Baby Unit at Hillingdon Hospital have reportedly gone without proper heating or air conditioning in the ward for the last three years.
Staff at the hospital in Uxbridge, rated “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), reportedly use electric bar heaters in order to keep the ward the correct temperature for the sick infants.
Wally Kennedy, from the Hillingdon Against Cuts campaign group, claimed staff were nervous to speak out about the problem due to a “culture of fear”.
A spokeswoman for The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they are aware of the problem and have assigned a contractor to deal with it.
Mr Kennedy, 69, said: “It is disgraceful that the trust and hospital management have allowed these unsafe conditions to develop.
“There has not been any forward planning to maintain the fabric of the hospital and they knew that the heating and air conditioning system had reached its life expectancy and is beyond repair.
“Instead of publicly warning about the deteriorating conditions and mobilising public support for the necessary political pressure and funding, they have presided over this debacle which endangers the health and welfare of the patients and staff.”
Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP Boris Johnson spoke about the issue in Parliament on October 23, 2018, when he asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to visit the hospital and “commit to provide the medical facilities” needed.
Mr Johnson said: “I can personally testify to the passion, care and professionalism of the staff at Hillingdon Hospital.
“They do a fantastic job but sadly too much of the physical environment in which they work is no longer fit for purpose.”
An inspection of the hospital in March 2018 found the Intensive Treatment Unit “was not compliant with recommended building standards and heating and ventilation for health sector building standards”.
It also identified an “increased risk of cross infection” and “inconsistencies in hand hygiene practice amongst staff”.
A spokeswoman for Hillingdon Hospitals said: “The trust was already aware of this issue [with the heating] and has assigned a contractor to look at the heating issues in SCBU.
“However, the heating levels are always adequate in the ward – the temperature in each room is checked on a daily basis and is maintained within the correct range for the babies in our care”