‘Fag ends, filth and bodily fluids’: Grim scene outside A&E
A regular visitor to Leicester Royal Infirmary has complained about the state of the accident and emergency department – with litter, vomit and other “bodily fluids” as well as a foul smell.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, had to spend much of the day outside waiting due to the Covid restrictions while the person he was with was seen to.
He said he was “beyond shocked” by what he saw while on the hospital site. Leicester HospiThe tals has apologised for any “upset caused” during the man’s trip after being contacted by the Times.
Commenting on his visit to take a loved one to the A&E department recently, the man said: “Upon arriving I was able to assist her with getting booked in and I was swiftly asked to remove myself from the building, despite being a carer to the patient.
“I accepted and went to stand outside, where I remained for the whole of Saturday - it was a very interesting experience.
“I was beyond shocked at the state of the front entrance of the £43.3 million department. There was discarded food and drink everywhere, discarded cigarettes everywhere, despite it being a nonsmoking hospital ground.
“There were ominous stains and dust on all of the windows, railings and floor.
“Right outside the A&E entrance doors was a sick bowl with bodily fluids in, left there for the entirety of my duration there.
“That presents safety and bio hazard issues – not exactly what you want at the entrance of a department where sick and vulnerable people will be attending.”
He said the smell was “very unpleasant, to say the least” and one set of doors had been vomited on.
He said the vomit was “all down the stairs and splattered all around, left there for people to walk through and spread up and into the department itself”.
He said it could have easily have been washed away with a bucket of water.
He added: “If it wasn’t for my health conditions and being on immune-suppressant medication I actually would have spent some time tidying it myself.”
scene was “anxiety-inducing” he said, adding that since people clearly smoked in the nonsmoking outdoor areas it would be better to just provide ashtrays.
Another issue, he said, was that there were no bins in the area.
He said: “It really would not go amiss to just put a couple of seats or benches out the front, for the patients that need some fresh air, or just to rest their legs before entering the department, rather than sitting on a sick-infested floor, leaning again glass windows that look like they have never seen a Squeegee.”