‘Left to shiver’ as hospital heating broken for days

Apology over cold temperatures on ward

The William Harvey Hospital in Ashford has finally fixed a heating problem that was leaving some patients freezing, much to the dismay of family members.

David Chenery spent 10 days at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, recovering from colon surgery in the Rotary Suite.

The 73-year-old said to wife Eileen over the phone that there was no heating on the ward, and mobile heaters are in short supply.

On Monday, she said: “He had a heater for a few days but they took it away saying that someone else needed it.

“I rang the ward to ask them to give him more blankets. A member of staff called back asking me to raise awareness of the issue.

“She’s complained to the highest level but no help is coming and they’ve got patients and staff shivering all the time.”

Eileen, 67, said that her husband’s ward neighbour tested positive for Covid-19 and that David has since been isolated himself.

Regarding the heating situation, she added: “You have to think about Covid being rife up there, and there are many patients trying to keep their strength and fight it.

“How can they do that when they’re shivering all the time?

“It’s disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.”

Mrs Chenery, from Hythe, did however praise the staff at the East Kent Hospitals Trust facility, saying they were trying their best despite the strain of the pandemic.

The Trust confirmed that the heating had been fixed on Tuesday, with a spokeswoman saying: “Our teams have been working hard to fix the system and the issue is now resolved.

“Temporary mobile heaters were provided for patients and we constantly monitored the air temperature during the downtime.

“We apologise for any inconvenience to patients and staff.”

David Chenery was subjected to ‘freezing’ temperatures at the William Harvey Hospital, according to his wife