Blood-stained chairs found in Grimsby A&E twice in a week
“UNCLEAN” seats in Grimsby hospital’s A&E department will be replaced after a councillor found what he believed to be blood stains on them for a second time – a week after first reporting them.
Councillor Matthew Brown (Lab, Croft Baker) took his father to Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales hospital a week ago with chest pains.
The seats were stained with marks that looked like dried blood or urine, so Councillor Brown asked for a wheelchair for his 68-year-old dad, John, to sit in instead.
John, of Ronald Farmer Court, Waltham, said: “I was flabbergasted that anywhere in a hospital could be so filthy – people could be prone to infection.
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“It wasn’t just one of the seats either. There were at least three or four that looked like they had blood or urine on them.”
Councillor Brown, who is a member of the local NHS Foundation Trust, reported the state of the seats to a staff member, yet when he returned a week later after taking his mother to an eye appointment, nothing had changed.
“I was really concerned as cleanliness in our hospitals is of the utmost importance and filthy chairs in the waiting room send out the wrong signal,” he said.
“The people of North East Lincolnshire deserve better yet when I reported it and found they were in the same condition a week later, I worried there may be a problem with the system of complaints.”
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that the seats – which are regularly cleaned – will soon be replaced.
A spokesman said: “We have new chairs currently on order for the waiting area in the accident and emergency department.
“The current chairs, which are all regularly deep cleaned and were last cleaned on Thursday, January 24, will all be replaced.”
Councillor Brown believes the problem should never have occurred at all.
He continued: “It is all well and good the NHS saying that they will be replaced soon but sometimes that is just not good enough – and this is one of those times.
“One day is too long when we need to be mindful of the spread of disease and could cost the NHS many thousands of pounds if someone were to be harmed as a result.
“My concern is that this happened in the first place – who would ever think that these fabric seats were appropriate in an Accident and Emergency
18 Comments
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by socks_uk
Thursday, January 31 2013, 12:55PM
“Most 'cushioned fabric' chairs have a normal 'plastic' chair underneath. It would be worth stripping the fabric and padding on one of them to see if money could be saved by removing the padding before the chairs are dumped and new ones purchased.
I certainly agree that stained chairs shouldn't be in use.”
by Anon987
Thursday, January 31 2013, 12:11AM
“That ACCIDENT & EMERGENCY is very close to my heart and I'm so pleased so many of you think that the halfwit counsellor is talking rubbish. First things first how do you know it's blood or urine? I'd be pretty concerned if my urine was that colour, coffee and coke look similar to that so let's not rule out spilt beverages. ( not the fault of the staff that patients miss their mouths)
As someone previously said a stain doesn't make something dirty. Maybe the chairs should have wipe able covers however with all of the money the NHS is having to save I'd much rather them spend money on patient care!
Finally please remember this is an EMERGENCY department and if you are there worrying about a chair then you need to ask yourself if you really need to be there! Don't forget whilst your sat in the waiting room on those chairs the staff behind the scenes are treating life threatening emergencies.
We all need to be thankful that we have the NHS we are so lucky to have the healthcare we do, if you don't like it Mr Brown go and live in America and spend a small fortune on health insurance, or even worse a country where the healthcare is almost non existent... That'll really give you something to write to the telegraph about!
I wonder if Mr Brown would be better at his job if he used as much energy and time as he has done spent moaning about this trivial matter! I think he needs to put things into perspective and concentrate on the bigger picture! He has really annoyed me and will not be voting labour whilst he is a member of parliament! What an absolute jobs worth”
by Waltham101
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 9:28PM
“I had a family member in A & E on Monday, 28th January, who was in urgent need of medical assistance, I can honestly say that the state of the chairs in the waiting area was the last thing on our minds. The treatment area was spotless, in fact it was cleaned twice while we were there, the staff were wonderful, the treatment even better. The staff from the wonderful porters to the doctors and all the rest inbetween could not be faulted and that is what is important, well done NHS Staff at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital you're all a credit to your profession”
by Deafman
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 8:22PM
“Counsellor Brown? The biggest joke in the council...
Apart from making the coffee and kissing counsellor Shaw shoes? What positive work has he done for the people of North East Lincolnshire.......
............................................................. Nothing. Get him out?”
by TomMussel
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 7:56PM
“I hear the telewag censored the views of a park ward councillor on this issue...
suspicious or wot?”
by stujaffray
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 6:55PM
“It's a " dump " Brown strikes again , rumour has it he's been shortlisted for a Labour " seat " down south ,hope it's clean ! He's up for re-election in 2014 , is Cllr Shaw trying to get rid of him , Croft Baker can do without him , as can N E LIncolnshire .”
by PatchMonkey
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 6:17PM
“If these stains chairs were a risk to anyone sitting on them or been near them I am sure the hospital would have removed them if they posed a risk. If there is no risk but a poxy little stain on them and it can still be used why waste money replacing them when they are perfectly good and will last until they are wrecked. If I was in A&E this would be the last thing on my mind. Also where there is a high turn over of people going through the area you will never have a spotless area such as a waiting room, it will be cleaned up 10 minutes later it will be dirty its a fact. What I would be worried about is if the clinical area is dirty i.e. the area you get treated or an operating theatre. With the amount of people coming in who are ill etc you will find your house or even outside is a cleaner place where less germs are been spread.”
by shardewee
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 6:06PM
“Councillor Mathew Brown
Get of your high horse you jumped up muppet.
Does the council repair things when they are damaged/stained immediately? NO
Do you the councillors listen to the public? NO
So what makes you think that the NHS Foundation Trust should listen and act immediately to you, your no one special apart from being a councillor that thinks he is GOD.
Can you remeber calling Scartho Baths DIRTY.
Did you or any other councillor go and demand they bring the facility up to standard? NO
You all sat back and let it get into such a state.”
by kathy71
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 5:50PM
“members of the public who use the waiting area make the mess vomiting , bleeding and sometimes urinating all over perhaps people should treat their surroundings with a little bit more respect !!!”
by AllanGY
Wednesday, January 30 2013, 5:33PM
“Why can`t the chairs be made of a washable ,pvc type material.”