An insect infestation on a dialysis ward, vermin on the grounds of a mortuary, creepy-crawlies in a detox unit for drug addicts and repeated sightings of mice in a canteen.
These were some of the issues reported to a pest control company by staff at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin last year, during which period a total of 65 “work orders” were placed with the firm.
Hospital workers also reported a “problem with bluebottles” in a cath lab, where cardiac tests and procedures are performed, and pest controllers were called in response to sightings of vermin outside the endoscopy unit.
Records released under freedom of information law reveal that there was a recurrent infestation of insects in the pantry of the general intensive care unit or ITU during 2020, requiring pest controllers to be called nine times to deal with the issue.
There was also a number of complaints about creepy-crawlies in the clinical nurse manager’s office in the same unit, prompting pest controllers to recommend a “deep clean” of the area to “remove insect carcasses”.
Mouse activity in the X-ray canteen was the subject of callouts on at least seven occasions in June and July alone, during which time four dead mice were removed from the location.
Vermin were also reported in the staff room of the same department.
In May, insects were reported “falling from the ceiling onto [a] desk” in the patient accounts area; while insects crawling on a desk in the A&E administration area the following month were identified as silverfish.
An insect infestation was reported in a detox unit for opiate addicts on June 10, while insects were also reported at specific beds in the dialysis ward on three occasions in February and May.
Pest controllers were also alerted to insect infestations in a theatre pantry and in two bedrooms for on-call hospital staff – one in the haematology department and one in a bedroom for radiographers.
On May 28, the records show that pest controllers had been “required to come on site for vermin” in the waste compound and on the grounds of the mortuary.
The 65 work orders placed with the pest control company during 2020 were in addition to routine and follow-up visits conducted by the firm as part of its contract with the hospital.
Asked to comment on the details contained in the records, a spokesperson said: “Beaumont Hospital has a full pest control process in place, working with third parties as required to maintain the highest level of health and safety standards.”
