James Kent
Patient care is being compromised in our Hospitals due to lack of staff. My Father,a stroke victim gets very tired but there is nobody to help him to bed. As a son I have found that you cannot ask for anything from the staff - even if you could find them! - Do they disappear at visiting time?- If not we have a serious problem! 2 staff members for 18 stroke victims! At best!
Sat Jul 30 11:28:17 2005

D Murphy. New Zealand
My Daughter is about to have a baby in Maidstone soon, this report worries me. Our hospitals in New Zealand are not as good as they could be but comparied to Kent they are a paradise. Please clean up your act. the world is watching.
Thu Jun 16 06:16:47 2005

Steve, Sevenoaks.
Alas it's what we've come to expect from the NHS. I've been treated for the last 9 months for cancer in a BUPA hosp. in Fordcombe, T.Wells. Building is spotless, staff exteremely hygene aware, and food excellent. So what's the differrence? Size and funding. The NHS is too big, too diverse in what treatment it offers, and hugely underfunded resulting in low pay and cheapest contract contract costs, which obviously doesn't deliver high standards. As they say, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Wed May 25 09:17:46 2005

Melanie from Rye
My mum cought MRSA 3 years ago from a hospital in London, she has had 14 operations to try and remove the mrsa but none of them worked, they gave her 2 years to live and now have told her she will never get better
Mon Oct 18 13:25:15 2004

Avril Tunbridge Wells
Fenwicks have nail brushes on their sinks, acheap item in the aid of hand hygiene, the hospital have none. I have operating staff in dressed ready in sterile garments go to the cafe, a non sterile area,and buy tea and sandwiches,use the Cash Machine and then return 'to the job'. Contamination to spread through an incision maybe? The higher up the Medical profession you go the worse the hygienic dress code seems to be. Why are Surgeons visiting patients in their street clothes and shoes? Why is the white coat worn open? Why is the hair loosly wafting about? Why are the Doctors in A@E constantly touching their mouths, picking their noses rubbing their eyes as I observed when waiting in Casualty.
Mon Sep 20 20:23:31 2004

House-keeper, Medway Maritime
When I applied to the housekeeping department for a job they would not employ me until they had references from previous employers, after about a month I was given an interview, then training which took two days and they were very thorough with the training. I keep reading stories about hygiene within hospitals and I'm concerned it always seems to come back to the cleaners. Yes I'm not covering for all cleaners as some just dont even know how to spell mop let along use one, but for the majority of us we work hard and take pride in our work. I enjoy my job very much and the patients appreciate the work we do. If the rule of sacking people was not as tough then there wouldn't be so many problems with the standards of hygiene. Also look at Drs. who go from patient to patient and not washing hands. Doctors, nurses, cleaners, management we all have a responsibility to adhere to all rules, but I'm afraid some don't and it will always be the same. There will always be a Doctor who thinks he doesn't need to wash his hands after seeing a patient, you will always have nurses that walk straight into an M.R.S.A. room without gloves etc, you will always have cleaners that don't clean rooms the way they have been trained.
Sun Aug 15 22:26:28 2004

Cllr. Jane Etheridge
I note Les's message in Strood, Kent. For his and others information, I brought the issue of cleanliness in our local hospital to the Health and Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Medway Council for Members to quiz hospital staff, as I had concerns in this area. If Les or anyone else in the Medway area has concerns re hospital cleanliness or has been affected by the effects of infection especially if they have not had a satisfactory response to their enquiry please do not hesitate to contact me. my email is jane.etheridge@medway.gov.uk Councillor Jane Etheridge Member for Strood North Vice Chairman Health & Community Overview & Scrutiny Medway Council
Mon Jul 12 18:48:08 2004

Paul, Dartford
What I read in your report regarding Kent’s hospitals is absolutely disgusting; the fault should be reflected on the supervisor's not doing their job. Surely in any other job a domestic cleaner not pulling their weight would be disciplined. Having just buried my girlfriends’ mother, after she was continually examined by doctors for 6 months until they eventually found Kidney cancer, by which time she was to weak for treatment, I find this level of service appalling.
Sun Jul 4 09:16:39 2004

MRS D
My mother died in the K&S last year,and had been an out-patient there for the previous 16 years. I noticed each time I took her to see her consultant that the building was sadly neglected..When my mother was admitted last year I was impressed with the service she got in A&E, but when she was admitted onto the ward I was disgusted that it was a mixed ward of elderly and young people (where was the privacy for these patients).....The care my mother received during the last 2 days of her life was excellent...Unfortunatly the hygenie was very shabby and during the 2 days and nights I spent with my mother the cleaning was non-extistant..This was during the heatwave in August last year...We are all well aware that the heat is a breeding ground for these BUGS...So one would have thought that cleaning would have been a priorty.
Tue Jun 15 15:26:27 2004

B H
After you report on the dirty hospital,today,I would welcome the same action at another hospital in Kent's maternity ward.A family member went in,and relations had to clean the room. the family member came home with a wonderful baby,and a bacterial infection,she was given 9 antibiotics a day,this finished recently. there was not a improvement,after 9 weeks. We reported this,and that she was ill,the chief exec. PA said we had to take her to A&E .For what? the specialist she had seen haad not solved it,could the person who would see her after about 2-3hrs be able to help?.
Tue Jun 15 15:19:36 2004

Alan, Tunbridge Wells
2 points: (1) If the current situation is AFTER "a massive amount of improvements" have been made within the last 6 months, goodness knows what it was like 6 months ago! (2) Why does it take 12 months to sort out a problem like this?
Tue Jun 15 14:08:19 2004

Mrs. P. F
I watched your item on Kent & Sussex Hospital with interest. My mother was in there 5 years ago with a serious illness. She was supposidly in isolation because of risk of infection and we all had to gown up before going into her room! When I went in there on two occasions there was blood on the floor from her transfusion. It was left there for 2 days before I persuaded someone to clean it up!!! This happened a few times and I was very cross about it then. When I saw your undercover story I wanted to let you know that this is not a recent occurance!! My mother died in this hospital and I can only presume it was from natural causes and not some infection! The care she received was good but the hygiene was terrible.
Tue Jun 15 10:49:38 2004

barry
i would like to comment on the news this evening regarding the kent and sussex hospital. my mother has just come out of the hospital after a double knee replacement, during her stay there the ward was never cleaned properly, dirty tissues remained on the floor for her entire stay, it was dusty. the toilets were dirty with urine and faeces. in the end my mother lied about not vomitting anymore just so that they would let her come home. in her words she said that she was frightened she would not get out alive otherwise. many thanks for showing the film tonight thank goodness someone has exposed the hospital and all it's faults barry
Tue Jun 15 10:02:34 2004

Steve in Sevenoaks
June, trust me when I say other hospitals are no better. This is all about what the eye doesn`t see, and I`ve seen some mess I can tell you. It all boils down to an indiference to patients wellbeing,and doing a job simply for the income, which is not the best approach for health care. Too many part timers is the cause.
Mon Jun 14 22:12:38 2004

Neil, Tonbridge
The dirty condition of Kent & Sussex Hospital highligted in your report does not need 6 months to put right. Put in a specialist cleaning company to clean the entire hospital. Arrange for clinical waste to be collected and removed immeadiatly. Why does the trust need to think about the action. If the trust manager was good at her job then action would have been taken as soon as your report went public and especially when the conditions were known prior to your report being issued. I noticed the usual excuses of cramped conditions etc that were blamed for the problem instead of bad management.
Mon Jun 14 20:56:13 2004

K. D, Tunbridge Wells
An excellent piece of investigative reporting. I find it difficult to understand why it should take so long to clean the place up though, six months to organise some cleaning seems way too much for me. Another thing also concerned me, why were most of the faces of the guilty hospital workers blanked out while one was shown several times without any anonyimity.. The BBC must be fair in its reporting at all times and be seen to be acting without bias. If people's faces were to be revealed it should have been all or none.
Mon Jun 14 20:36:37 2004

SUSAN LANGTON GREEN
TO THE BBC YOU DO NOT NEED TO SEND A UNDER COVER AGENT TO SEE THE DIRT AND FILTH ON THE WARDS AND OTHER PLACES IN THE HOSPITAL I HAVE VISITED K,S MANY TIMES AS A PATIENT AND VISITOR AND NOTICED SOME OF THE DIRTY AREAS YOU SHOWED ON YOUR BBC NEWS NIGHT WHAT EVER MONEY THEY PUT INTO HOSPITAL FUNDING IT IS OF NO USE IF YOU CANT FIND CONSCIENTIOUS CLEANERS AND WORKERS BRING BACK MATRONS TO THE WARDS TO OVER SEE THE CLEANING PROGRAMS OR WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE DIRTY HOSPITALS. ITS SUCH A SHAME AS THE NURSING STAFF ARE GREAT AND THEY DO THERE BEST FOR THE PATIENTS SO TO ALL THE CLEANING STAFF LETS GET RUBBER GLOVES ON AND STEAM CLEAN THOSE DIRTY WARDS
Mon Jun 14 19:43:06 2004

David, Tunbridge Wells
It has been know for a very long time that the condition of cleanliness in the Kent & Sussex hospital, (A & E in particular) is a disgrace. In the Services if yor living accomodation was dirty it had to be spotless by the next day.
Mon Jun 14 19:16:56 2004

david, tunbridge wells
Watching your programme tonight ms gibb almost seemed to justify the situation with not even a hint of an apology.
Mon Jun 14 19:04:12 2004

Mariela, cranbrook
i am 15 years old and about 3 or 4 years ago i went into kent and sussex hospital for a fairly minor ear opertation. i was due to stay in hospital for about 2 days but i ended up staying in hospital for 1 week because i caught MRSA on a small skin graft behind my ear. i was also not allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks for risk of spreading the infection. i am now due to go back in to the same hospital for the operation again because it did not work last time. due to my last experience at kent and sussex i was worried. however having seen your very interesting report on the hospital i am now even more worried. thank you for bringing this ver serious matter to light and i will be sure to not eat or drink anything when i go in.
Mon Jun 14 19:03:18 2004

Adam, Sittingbourne
My sister is in hospital at the moment she went in yesterday (Sunday) and when i contacted her husband he told me how filthy it was. I hope tonights programme makes some difference and i'm sure many people will be shocked by tonights programme and i think people need to be brought to justice and prosecuted for allowing conditions to become so appauling and for putting lives at risk.
Mon Jun 14 16:46:22 2004

June
I listened to this morning's news item with some amazement. The NHS spokesperson stated that cleaning up this hospital will take time. How much time do they need? I was in Kent & Sussex some 5½ years ago, for an operation for breast cancer. It was filthy then, with urine samples left uncovered in the loos for anything up to 24 hours, dirt under the beds, etc. I myself woke up from my operation to discover that I had been put on a filthy, stained and damaged mattress with the word 'Condemned' written across it in large letters - the nurse couldn't believe her eyes. I was released after 5 days, despite an obvious infection in my wound area. It took months for the site to heal, and has remained painful since. I had to return for a further biopsy a few months later. Once again, the wound became infected and I vowed never to return to that hospital again. Luckily I was able to get a transfer but not everyone had that good fortune and I feel for anyone who has to go to Kent & Sussex. The sights I saw during my stay there will be with me forever. regards
Mon Jun 14 11:55:37 2004

Les, Strood Kent
The MRSA superbug is worse now than what it was 20y ears ago, yet you can still pick up this bacteria and the problem doesn't appear to get any better. I spent 23 weeks in and out of 2 hospitals. I caught this germ whilst I was in hosptial. I have now been out from hosptial since 3rd october 2002 and to date I have not yet been screened. I have mentioned this fact to the relevant people concerned, yet i am still waiting almost a year to find out as to whether i have the bug. I recently watched a documentary on BBC1 and it was quite interesting and some poor chap had lost both his legs. I had a left auxillary bifebrel bypass and the procedure was a complete failure and as a result of this I had another 5 more operations to try and correct the original procedure. I will never work again and I will classed as a disabled person. I am currently waiting to hear from one hospital to find out if they will operate again. I will try to get the diseases unit at the other hospital and ask to be screened again. At the present moment nobody appears to be interested. Why?
Wed Sep 10 23:05:15 2003