Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Roach Maternity Motel

Britain's NHS suffers another black eye:

Health bosses have been forced to close a hospital maternity unit - because of a cockroach infestation.

Patients were packed into a cramped temporary ward in the children's department with beds separated only by curtains after the creepy-crawlies were spotted.

The unit at Rochdale Royal Infirmary, Greater Manchester had to be shut down and the children's play room used for storage while fumigation took place.

It was expected that the unit - earmarked for closure in a shake-up announced by health secretary Alan Johnson - would be shut for almost a week after the shock discovery of the bugs, which can carry salmonella, several viruses or even polio.

.... Days earlier, the Infirmary was forced to stop admitting patients to the children's ward because of staff shortages.

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