Wales' biggest hospital loses running water as staff say 'this place is beyond'

A crisis-hit hospital's running water was disrupted twice in around 48 hours while sewage was understood to have been leaking into a waiting room. The incidents happened last week at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales amid chronic structural problems at the dilapidated site.

After staff told Pulse Media the hospital had completely lost its water supply last Wednesday, we repeatedly pressed Cardiff and Vale University Health Board for a statement – but its first two responses failed to acknowledge there had been any issue at all that day.

It was only when we sent the health board clear evidence of the supply failure that it admitted what had happened. 

The issues had started on Monday morning, December 1, when a "faulty" pump led to a loss of hot water in the hospital's main tower blocks. "Warm water remained available but temperatures were lower than expected," said a health board spokeswoman.

Cold water supply was unaffected that day and hot water returned by 3.30pm. But two days later the supply of both hot and cold water stopped and there was a sewage leak in a patient waiting room.

It comes just weeks after almost 300 doctors wrote to the health board that morale was at an "all-time low" due to a wide range of problems at the hospital, many of them to do with its deteriorating condition.

The health board said the Wednesday incident involved a "cold water pump fault" in two tower blocks. This resulted in a loss of supply for around one hour from 4pm, while valve safeguards also prevented hot water flowing so there would be no scalding, said the spokeswoman.

But one staff member told us: "When hot water came back on, it was absolutely scalding. You couldn't touch it. Surgeons had to scrub with bottle water."

Sewage leaking into the 'TAL lounge', a patient waiting room, has been a recurring issue in recent years and happened again last Wednesday, December 3, our source added.

The health board responded: "The team continues to address historical drainage issues above the TAL lounge where sections of pipework have been replaced to improve flow and reduce blockages."

One employee said the loss of water had affected theatre staff's ability to clean their hands and equipment for operations. One anaesthetist summed up the team's feelings with the comment: "This place is beyond."

Last week also saw a ventilation failure in the theatres department. A source said: "Ventilation was broken in theatres first thing Monday morning.

"It goes off at least once every two weeks. Ventilation is very important for removing viruses such as Covid-19, flu and other airborne particles."

The health board responded that its estate teams deals with any ventilation problems immediately "to minimise downtime".

Our source said the hospital's frequent leaks have led to thousands of pounds' worth of equipment, including anaesthetic machines, getting "drenched".

Staff also criticised the health board for initially failing to acknowledge Wednesday's water failure. "It's absolutely ridiculous," said one. Another told us: "The place is literally crumbling."

'Shocking comments'

The University Hospital of Wales is home to many services used by people from a much wider area than Cardiff. However, it was built in the 1960s, has major structural issues, and long-mooted plans for a replacement have not progressed far.

Last week we reported on the stories of a 77-year-old emphysema patient who was left shivering after the hospital's heating failed, and an 80-year-old in his final hours wet from the dripping ceiling of a pigeon-infested tunnel.

Our reporting was raised in the Senedd by Andrew RT Davies, Tory MS for south Wales central, who called for health secretary Jeremy Miles to "get a grip" of the crisis.

Mr Davies read out a section of our report and described WalesOnline as "one of the few media sources to highlight the appalling state at Wales's largest hospital", adding: "You need to get a grip, cabinet secretary, and get into that health board and sort it out before more patients have to suffer what I just read out."

Mr Miles replied: "I read the comments that the member quoted in the press yesterday, and they are shocking comments. I absolutely acknowledge that, and that absolutely should not be any patient's experience."

He went on: "There is a clear acknowledgement that the condition of the estate at the University Hospital of Wales is not adequate.

"We have allocated funding as a government to support comprehensive survey work to inform that plan, and that will provide a clear understanding of the risks and what investment priorities need to come on the back of those to address them."

'The place is just full of pigeons'

One employee said: "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."

They shared with us pictures of a walkway carpeted with pigeon droppings and a corridor where a "disgusting liquid" was dripping through a collapsed ceiling.

And a scathing report on the hospital's operating theatres recently found there had been "several occasions when pigeons were found in trauma theatre or on the theatre corridor".

In September we reported on the case of Gareth Idris Johnson, a much-loved 41-year-old dad-of-three who died after the hospital's maintenance problems led to him being moved to a different unit following an operation.

This prompted coroner Kerrie Burge to warn the health board there was a risk of more deaths if UHW's problems were not addressed.

There was another plea for urgent action in last month's letter from the health board's senior consultant body, It was sent after an extraordinary meeting of nearly 300 consultants who expressed "deep anxiety" about the state of patient care.

The consultants complained of "persistent" sewage leaks, water damage, and poor cleanliness despite repeated reports from senior clinical staff. They said it was "particularly alarming" to hear reports that plans for a replacement hospital have been shelved "without any communication to clinicians".

A spokeswoman for the health board said: "Our capital, estates and facilities colleagues carry out continuous maintenance and repair of the hospital’s infrastructure, prioritising the safety of patients and staff and working closely with Welsh Government estates and capital teams.

"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.

"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."

Last month the Welsh Government told us the health board is still "developing a plan for the future of both the University Hospital of Wales and University Hospital Llandough sites. 

Concerns raised in the consultants' letter included a recruitment freeze and "the proliferation of middle management" and "frequent circular meetings without outcomes".

The Tories and Plaid Cymru have accused the Welsh Government of not doing enough to turn around the crisis-hit hospital.

In July the government did escalate the health board to a 'level four' targeted intervention due to "serious concerns relating to governance, culture, quality and safety and operational pressures" – falling short of level five, which would mean placing it in special measures. It remains at level four.