Lack of soaps in hospitals and rat droppings in food served in football clubs. That is a pretty scary situation obtaining in Wales, UK.

Spot checks at the University Hospital of Wales also revealed that patients and staff do not always have access to sinks and soap to wash their hands.

The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) spot checks of wards at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW), the largest in the region and the nearby Llandough Hospital in June found:

Dusty high-level surfaces, radiators and light fittings in Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust hospitals;

a risk of infection from patients using communal toiletries;

empty hand gel dispensers at the University Hospital of Wales;

patients’ wash bowls stored underneath beds on the medical rehabilitation and urology wards at UHW;

staff in UHW and Llandough hospital were over-reliant on gloves, rather than washing their hands between patient contacts; and

no hand-washing facilities in bathrooms on the elderly care ward at Llandough Hospital.

The report, published this month highlighted cleanliness and maintenance issues, including cluttered corridors, damaged chairs and broken cupboards.

The Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust has been told it must now submit an action plan to address the issues raised.

Carol Lamyman-Jones, director of the Board of Community Health Councils (CHCs) in Wales pledged CHCs will continue its hospital environment inspections in a bid to raise standards.

Sue Gregory, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust’s nursing director, said: “At Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, we manage more than 14,000 members of staff across all trust sites.