The hospital where a newborn baby died after being left underfed and on damp bedsheets is plagued by pigeon faeces and sewage leaks, patients claim.
An investigation into the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff has revealed shocking pictures of filthy hallways, collapsed roofs, and unsanitary rubbish strewn out in the open.
One staff member described working at the centre, which is Wales’ biggest hospital, has become an ‘absolute nightmare’.
The shocking report into it revealed how, on several occasions, pigeons were found in trauma theatres or on the theatre corridor, while elderly and severely ill patients were left in damp, cold conditions.
The findings come just two weeks after 300 consultants sent hospital bosses a letter stating that staff morale was at an ‘all-time low’ – contributed to by the dilapidated state of the hospital.
One staff member told WalesOnline: ‘The place is just full of pigeons nesting in what we call the catacombs, the underground tunnel.
‘On the first floor, there are buckets everywhere to catch the water coming through the roof. The whole hospital is an absolute nightmare.’
One patient’s daughter detailed how her critically ill 80-year-old father was transported twice in his bed through ‘disgusting’ tunnels from an overflow unit to the main hospital to be treated with more oxygen.
She added the corridor was flooded in places and had bird faeces everywhere, along with rubbish and discarded medical items.
The woman says she also had to cover her father with a coat for 10 minutes to stop him from getting wet from leaks in the ceiling.
Her anxiety amplified when she discovered the father experienced the same ordeal five days earlier, which she said left her dad ‘traumatised’ by the whole experience.
The investigation follows the death of a newborn baby who, an inquest heard this week, was left underfed and lying on cold, damp bed sheets in the hospital’s understaffed neonatal intensive care unit before he died.
Lakshith Guptha Nalla was just four weeks old when he died at the University Hospital of Wales in the early hours of May 11, 2024, after nurses failed to feed him sufficiently.
The ‘persistent and gross understaffing’ of the unit left the ‘vulnerable’ baby without feed for four hours and meant no one noticed he developed an infection or that he was lying on cold, wet bedding, coroner Rachel Knight said.
She also said that nurse Pasqualina Mollo, who was responsible for feeding Lakshith, disconnected the feeding tube to allow the infant to cuddle his parents, although he was prescribed constant feed.
It was not until after it had been removed that they noticed that there were no new feeding lines on the ward at the time, due to their ‘chaotic’ stocking systems and because a delivery had not turned up.
It was not until an hour and a half later that they actually got the tubes, which is when Nurse Mollo fitted the new one on little Lakshith – but as she was ‘in a rush’ to help deliver another baby, she mistakenly did not fit his feeding tube properly.
She also did not inform anybody of the hours of feed he missed or conduct blood tests to ensure the hours without food had not affected his condition.
Pontypridd Coroners’ Court heard that the Lakshith parents’ lives have ‘changed forever’ since his death.
The inquest heard that ‘the staff on the ward were asked to do too many jobs during their shift’ and they were made to look after twice the number of patients they should be looking after in the unit.
As well as no food the baby’s paperwork was also missing in parts including, most crucially, any observations between 4pm and 5pm on May 9.
At around 4pm, another nurse recognised baby Lakshith ‘seemed different’.
Blood samples were taken, and the results were described as ‘worrying’ as he was found to suffer from hypoglycemia and with metabolic and respiratory acidosis. He was also found to be cold.
At 6pm, staff noticed Lakshith was not connected to his feed properly and hadn’t been for the past four hours. They saw his feeding tube was leaking and that ‘he was lying on cold, wet bed sheets’.
The survival rate of sepsis in premature babies is around 25 to 30 per cent, and so even less for Lakshith, who was trying to fight it alongside two other conditions – all while being hypoglycaemic, malnourished, dehydrated and cold.
A spokeswoman for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board told WalesOnline: ‘We appreciate that hospitals aren’t always the most comfortable environments for patients… We are aware that the modernisation and maintenance issues are indicative of an ageing estate.
‘Colleagues within our capital and estates team provide continuous maintenance and repair works to the hospital infrastructure, prioritising the health and safety of patients and colleagues. This is done in conjunction with and supported by Welsh Government estates and capital colleagues.
‘We strongly encourage any patients who have concerns during their care to speak directly with staff in the clinical area. Alternatively, concerns can be raised with our dedicated concerns team, who can provide a direct response to patients and their families.’
The health board promises to continue watching all its issues and thanked staff for submitting a maintenance request so it could be investigated.
It said the hospital also has plans for a new roof to be installed.
The Conservative Party and Plaid Cymru have accused the Welsh Government of not doing enough to turn around the crisis-hit hospital.
The Daily Mail has approached the University Hospital of Wales and the NHS for comment.
